ODM’s failure to hold elections came as no surprise

By Denis Kodhe

Kenya: What happened last week at Kasarani National Sports complex during the ODM party elections which aborted at the last minute was like a drama, movie or a video, as viewers might put it.

The security men in black who were supposed to be custodian of the elections turned chaotic themselves, destroying ballot boxes and turning tables as if the party was at war with itself.

Lose control

For many observers and critics, what happened during the aborted party elections at Kasarani was not a surprise. It was expected to happen at some point.  Certain ODM party owners do not want to let go of the party. From the response of the delegates, it was clear that the so- called owners were going to lose control of the party.

All the blame should go to the Political Parties Act, which has failed to instill and rein order and discipline in the management of political parties in the country. Parties are still owned by power hungry individuals who ensure that they remain at their helm at whatever cost.

Parties are not ideological. They are merely political vehicles to ride on by power hungry individuals and politicians seeking representation and political offices.

Political parties should be role models of good governance and democracy in a society.  The credibility and integrity of a political party determines the quality of leadership it provides. Like in the case of Tanzania, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) of the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere has been the pillar of leadership and peaceful political change.

In an interview a year before he died, Nyerere assured me and other international journalists that Tanzania would never be short of leaders like other countries in the region.

Although there is massive corruption and bad governance, Tanzania is the most stable country politically in East Africa. Succession politics in Tanzania has not been bloody and scaring as has been the case in other East African countries like Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and now South Sudan.

 In March 1999, I founded the then Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Kenya to promote liberal democracy and values. I borrowed the idea from the then Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, which held power for decades.

 All was well with my dream party until two years later when on my own personal conviction I invited the then Rainbow rebels from the then ruling party Kanu to join in 2002.

Unfortunate

It is sad and unfortunate that LDP ceased to become ideological and instead became just a mere political vehicle for Rainbow politicians, among them former Prime Minister Raila Odinga,  former Vice Presidents Kalonzo Musyoka, the late professor George Saitoti and Moody Awori.

Although the LDP-Rainbow Brigade and the National Alliance Party Kenya (NAK) of former President Mwai Kibaki, the late Wamwala Kijana and Charity Ngilu managed to remove Kanu from power after joining hands ushering the Narc government, most of the coalition partner parties became irrelevant and meaningless almost immediately.

The immediate task of Kibaki and his new administration then was to destroy and possibly deregister the strong political parties that made it possible for him to become president through a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU), which were signed at Hilton hotel and Nairobi Club respectively.

Anti-reform

 I remember vividly the pressure I was put under in 2003 by the then top administration and leadership of former President Kibaki and the goodies I was being offered, not only to kick Rainbow guys out of LDP, but also to deregister the party altogether to pave way for one party system just like was the case before the repeal of the one party system under former President Daniel arap Moi in 1992.

 For Kibaki’s kitchen Cabinet then, there was no need for reforms and other constitutional changes because they were already in power. The leadership intrigues in ODM are not new and definitely will lead to further splitting of the party, like was the case with Kalonzo Musyoka’s ODM-Kenya. Although there is an urgent need to bring change in ODM and a new way of doing things to make the party more competitive, members must be careful who they choose to take up the party leadership mantle.

As much as former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will remain the Party Leader, other structures such as Secretary General, Chairman, Deputy, party leader, Organising Secretary and Treasurer are also very important components for the strengthening of the party.

It appears that the youthful group of Ababu Namwamba, Ali Hassan Joho and others seeking top leadership of the party have not “matured” enough and to some extent have no capacity to manage ODM,  a national political outfit.

ODM is a national party with a huge following and interests. It is too big for the likes of Ababu, Joho, Agnes Zani and others as it requires mature, strong and tested leaders that will understand its geometrics as a national party.

Chest thumping and a militant stye of leadership will not only ruin the credibility of the party, but will also destroy it. ODM supporters nationally, especially in Nyanza,  are so dejected, frustrated and disappointed with the party, especially after it lost to Jubilee in lasty year’s General Election. 

The writer is Executive Director, Institute for Democracy & Leadership in Africa (Idea).