Over 30 parties back push for referendum

NAIROBI, KENYA: More than 30 political parties have announced their support for a national referendum.

The parties, which are registered but are not beneficiaries of the Political Parties Fund, however, are joining the push with a different agenda — to ensure equitable funding.

The parties' caucus said it had formed an inter-parties committee to craft the referendum question in a bid to safeguard gains accorded in the new Constituting which were taken away by the Political Parties Act 2011.

The parties that include Wiper, Ford Kenya and UDF have vowed to push for own interests in the referendum that will guarantee them equity in accessing the Political Parties Fund.

"We are sufficiently convinced that a referendum is the only way to safeguard our democratic gains and therefore, we have officially joined calls for a referendum,” said a statement signed by the party representatives after a three-day retreat at Maazoni Lodge in Machakos County that ended at the weekend.

Under the Political Parties Act 2011, only President Uhuru's TNA, Deputy President Ruto's URP and former Prime Minister Raila's ODM qualified to share the funds from the political party's kitty after securing more than five per cent of the national tally during the 2013 polls. .

Representatives of CORD affiliates Wiper and Ford Kenya, which missed out on the kitty, attended the forum.

Wiper's Sammy Seroney and Ford Kenya's Stephen Namusyule appended their signature on behalf of their parties. Officials of Jubilee affiliates Ford People, PNU, GNU and UDF's also signed the press release.

"Refusal to amend the political parties funding reduces political parties to beggars who cannot be independent nor be able to conduct their affairs without overbearing political patronage. All Kenyans must therefore stand and fight for preservation of democracy we fought for," David Wakahu of Mwangaza Party said.