Parties’ headache in picking presidential candidates

Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat (right) and Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto at the Bomet Green Stadium during the New Year party. Mr Salat hinted that his party will closely work with the governor. [PHOTO: FILBERT KIMUTAI/STANDARD

NAIROBI: The country's major political parties face political headache as they head to the next elections.

The ruling Jubilee coalition, which has already settled on President Uhuru Kenyatta as its flag bearer, has a remaining hurdle of rallying its core strongholds in the Rift Valley into one fold and trying to penetrate new strongholds, if only to eliminate the tag that it is a two-community affair.

For the Opposition, the biggest headache, which it will have to confront as the journey to the next polls continues, is to pick a presidential contender from the trio at the helm of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD): former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and former Cabinet Minister Moses Wetang'ula.

The three have presidential ambitions, and having one take the main job will require tactful management of egos to stem a fallout that is likely to prop up the Jubilee administration.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, who is the leader of the Amani National Congress, has also promised to vie for the presidency, but he too has a major branding mountain to climb.

Narc-Kenya Party leader Martha Karua and Kenya National Congress' Peter Kenneth also have a year to come back to the political limelight, rework their campaign machinery and take another stab at the presidency.

ON THE FENCE

The Independence party, Kanu, has lately been active particularly in the Rift Valley where Secretary General Nick Salat announced the party will work closely with Governor Isaac Ruto. The party is likely to benefit from any fallout in the Jubilee coalition.

Key lieutenants of the CORD principals are, however, putting on a brave face and arguing that the coalition will remain intact.

"For us to agree on a single presidential candidate, I do not think it is a big challenge. Last time, we had a very short time to agree, now we have a longer time. We have done better than most people thought," said ODM chairman John Mbadi as he dismissed perceptions that the party may implode in the run up to the elections.

"We need to let the principals discuss among themselves. As members, we need to give them space," he added.

"I can assure you that there will be no break-up in CORD. Look at Jubilee, they are even more strange bedfellows than CORD. We hope that the principals will give us the presidential candidate, failure to which the task will fall on us as a parliamentary group to come up with a candidate," added Wiper MP Daniel Maanzo (Makueni).

But the Jubilee coalition, which has been struggling to fight fires in its stronghold of the Rift Valley argues that the alliance is stronger than before.

National Assembly Leader of Majority Aden Duale said: "Most of the problems that are faced by parties in this country border on lack of internal democracy. The Opposition is facing a number of problems, chief among them being how to identify their flag bearer. With Jubilee having identified their flag bearer, the Opposition is mesmerised on how they will go through the process," said Mr Duale.

But even as the big parties face the possibilities of managing internal squabbles, the smaller parties have to deal with funding issues that have rendered most of them non-operational.

A ruling last year by Justice Mumbi Ngugi has left most small parties limping, denying them the financial muscle to conduct a credible campaign and recruit members.

Parties that do not currently receive any funding include Kalonzo's Wiper Democratic Movement, Ms Karua's Narc Kenya, Mr Mudavadi's UDF, and Mr Kenneth's Kenya National Congress. Others are Ford Kenya, New Ford Kenya, PNU, GNU, PICK and Tip Tip.

PNU chairman John Kamama revealed that most of the small parties have been reduced to briefcase parties, surviving on shoestring or no budgets at all.

"The fact that we cannot conduct sustainable campaigns is one way of killing democracy. We would like to fund ourselves, pay officials and recruit members. As it is, we must use money from our own pockets to fund our political activities," said Mr Kamama.