- Kioni said any meetings held at the former party headquarters at Kaputei Gardens "are illegal and contemptuous of court orders".
- "It is hereby notified to the general public that the Jubilee Party Headquarters are located at Daraja House, along State House Road, directly opposite State House Gate B. All are welcome," he said.
Image: FILE
Power struggles in the former ruling Jubilee party have taken a fresh twist with the faction led by embattled Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni now saying party offices have been relocated next to State House.
In a statement on Thursday, Kioni said any meetings held at the former party headquarters at Kaputei Gardens "are illegal and contemptuous of court orders".
"It is hereby notified to the general public that the Jubilee Party Headquarters are located at Daraja House, along State House Road, directly opposite State House Gate B. All are welcome," he said.
"Workrooms such as the one at Kaputei Gardens are illegal and contemptuous of the court orders."
The move is likely to escalate the supremacy contest in the Uhuru Kenyatta-led party where Kioni's faction has been at loggerheads with a splinter group led by East Africa Legislative Assembly [EALA] Member of Parliament Kanini Kega.
The two sides have been to court countless times with each seeking to be declared the bonafide leadership of the once-powerful party.
Wrangles within the party started soon after the 2022 general election when some party members shifted allegiance to Kenya Kwanza and disowned the binding deal to the Azimio Coalition party.
The prevailing court order issued mid-last year directed that the status quo of the party's leadership remain until Kioni's appeal opposing his ouster as the legitimate secretary general is heard and determined.
On July 10, 2023, the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal upheld the decision by the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) to suspend Kioni, David Murathe and Kagwe Gichohi.
Kioni was expelled from the party on grounds of gross misconduct and for failing to respect the party's organs.
Vice chair Murathe was axed for gross misconduct while national treasurer Gichohi was suspended for allegedly disobeying party instructions.
The trio, however, moved to court and the High Court on July 12, 2023, quashed the Tribunal's ruling and reinstated the three, effectively wresting the reigns of the party from Kega's faction.
In his statement on Thursday, Kioni warned that any meeting activities planned and held without his express directive amounts to contempt of court.
"Individuals who joined the Kenya Kwanza and appointed themselves as leaders of the party are fraudsters and should be treated with the contempt they deserve," he said.