Rebel Orange Democratic Movement MPs allied to suspended minister William Ruto have met to craft a response to the move by their rivals in the party to expel five of their colleagues.
Two options were said to have been on the table during a meeting attended by up to 32 MPs.
The most radical one, it is said, was to quit the party en mass to strip it of its majority in Parliament and leave party boss Raila Odinga exposed to challenge over his position as Prime Minister.
The National Accord reserves the post for the leader of the majority party in Parliament.
The other option is to fight the case.
No agreement was reached and further meetings will be called to debate the matter.
On Wednesday, two party members allied to Prime Minister Raila Odinga went to court seeking a ruling to expel Mr (William) Ruto, Mr Aden Duale, Mr Charles Keter, Mr Isaac Ruto and Mr Joshua Kutuny.
The partys parliamentary group and National Executive Council met and resolved to support the case filed by Mr Mpuri Aburi and Mr Kepher Odongo at the High Court.
Chief Whip Jakoyo Midiwo said the top party organs resolved that the case was good and they will support it.
We have to clean up our party. We dont think it is bad for aggrieved members to go to court, Mr Midiwo said.
Mr Aburi and Mr Odongo, through lawyer Cecil Miller, argue that the respondents are in Parliament in contravention of Article 103 of the Constitution and Section 17(4) of the Political Parties Act.
They argue that Mr Ruto and the four others have, through public declarations and activities, indicated that they have joined United Democratic Movement. The hearing of a petition will start next Thursday
The Eldoret MPs team met for two hours at the Parliament Gardens where they discussed the option of resigning from the party en mass and the other of facing the litigants in court.
We do not see why we should fight to remain in a party that has outlived its ideals and turned into dictatorship, said Mr Kutuny, the Cherangany MP.
Mr Kutuny said the MPs in attendance agreed that should the Orange party support the expulsion case, they would be reluctant to fight it.
Two options were said to have been on the table during a meeting attended by up to 32 MPs.
The most radical one, it is said, was to quit the party en mass to strip it of its majority in Parliament and leave party boss Raila Odinga exposed to challenge over his position as Prime Minister.
The National Accord reserves the post for the leader of the majority party in Parliament.
The other option is to fight the case.
No agreement was reached and further meetings will be called to debate the matter.
On Wednesday, two party members allied to Prime Minister Raila Odinga went to court seeking a ruling to expel Mr (William) Ruto, Mr Aden Duale, Mr Charles Keter, Mr Isaac Ruto and Mr Joshua Kutuny.
The partys parliamentary group and National Executive Council met and resolved to support the case filed by Mr Mpuri Aburi and Mr Kepher Odongo at the High Court.
Chief Whip Jakoyo Midiwo said the top party organs resolved that the case was good and they will support it.
We have to clean up our party. We dont think it is bad for aggrieved members to go to court, Mr Midiwo said.
Mr Aburi and Mr Odongo, through lawyer Cecil Miller, argue that the respondents are in Parliament in contravention of Article 103 of the Constitution and Section 17(4) of the Political Parties Act.
They argue that Mr Ruto and the four others have, through public declarations and activities, indicated that they have joined United Democratic Movement. The hearing of a petition will start next Thursday
The Eldoret MPs team met for two hours at the Parliament Gardens where they discussed the option of resigning from the party en mass and the other of facing the litigants in court.
We do not see why we should fight to remain in a party that has outlived its ideals and turned into dictatorship, said Mr Kutuny, the Cherangany MP.
Mr Kutuny said the MPs in attendance agreed that should the Orange party support the expulsion case, they would be reluctant to fight it.
