By Martin Masai
A fierce political storm today erupted inside the National Economic Development Party (NEDP) after party leader Mike Mbuvi Sonko suspended all party activities over alleged extortion, infiltration and internal sabotage.
The former Nairobi Governor accused rogue party officials of using his name to exploit aspirants and ordinary supporters through unauthorized payments and questionable collections.
Speaking to his close ally Tom Luusa, Sonko questioned why aspirants seeking positions through the party were allegedly being forced to pay fees through a Till Number.
“Under whose authority was the till opened? Where is the money going?” Sonko demanded angrily.
He accused officials he personally appointed of betraying wananchi and abusing the trust Kenyans have in him.
“Why are they exploiting the poor people this party was formed to help?” he posed.
Sonko said he had personally spent millions of shillings setting up the party, paying office rent and printing publicity materials such as caps and T-shirts.
However, he claimed some officials had turned the party into a commercial enterprise by allegedly selling the same materials back to supporters and aspirants.
The visibly furious politician announced that from Monday he would move to court seeking to have the offending officials degazetted.
But beyond the internal wrangles, Sonko appeared to suggest the chaos inside NEDP was politically engineered.
Sonko suspects powerful external political forces are attempting to infiltrate and destabilize the fledgling outfit as it gains momentum nationally.
He identified Fred Matiang’i — the Jubilee presidential aspirant — and President William Ruto as being part of a wider political scheme aimed at crippling the young party.
The claims could further inflame already rising political tensions as early realignments ahead of the 2027 succession politics begin taking shape.
As part of the drastic changes, Sonko ordered the immediate closure of the current aspirants’ WhatsApp group.
He directed that a new platform be opened where he would personally engage aspirants directly without intermediaries.
He further instructed that any member or aspirant who had paid money to the party should immediately seek refunds.
The unfolding fallout now exposes the fragile realities facing emerging political parties in Kenya, where internal mistrust, infiltration fears and financial wrangles often erupt long before formal campaigns begin.
For Sonko, however, the battle appears deeply personal.
The former governor has long built his political image around championing the poor and positioning himself as an anti-establishment political figure.
The latest rebellion now threatens not only the stability of NEDP, but also the credibility of the political movement Sonko is trying to build.
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