Chadema Vice Chairman John Heche has announced the party will seek legal redress to challenge the Registrar of Political Parties, Justice Francis Mutungi’s move to nullify the appointment of Chadema Executive Council members. Chadema will also sue the registrar over its decision to withhold Chadema’s political party’s money.
The move comes barely a week after the Registrar’s office wrote a letter to Chadema, informing them to revoke all the names of leaders who were approved by the members during the party’s national delegates conference on January 22, 2025. The registrar termed their approval as null and void.
In addition to the leaders, the registrar also demanded that the council members appointed by a central committee be invalidated over claims of lack of quorum, as required by the laws and regulations of the political parties
However, in a hard-hitting statement on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, John Heche said the party has resolved to seek court interpretation since, according to them, the Registrar of the political party has no authority to interpret Chadema’s constitution.
“We are going to court because the Registrar has entrusted himself as the interpreter of our constitution, because he is the one who knows our constitution better than we do,” he said
Chadema will also sue the Registrar for withholding the party’s money, which he said was against the requirements of the Registrar of Political Parties Act
Heche said the decision by the Registrar to withhold the money by acting on section 18(6) of the Registrar of Political Parties Act, only applies if there are complaints from the Comptroller and Auditor General of Government (CAG)
”We would have been denied the money if there had been a CAG complaint of either misuse of funds or otherwise, but not just a pronounce from the Registrar from his comfort,’’ Said Heche
Heche also said the aim of going to court was to set the record straight that the Registrar of the political party has no powers over the decision taken by the party, but is only required to implement the party’s decisions.
Already, the party has instructed its lawyers to file the court case against the Registrar before 13th June 2025
Following the Registrar’s letter invalidating Chadema’s secretariat, the party has decided to reappoint all of them in an acting capacity. John Mnyika retains his position of Secretary General but on an acting basis, while Amani Golugwa and Ali Ibrahim Juma will deputize him in the same capacity.
