Political parties must become vessels within which democracy is nurtured

Advance of multiparty democracy in Kenya is painfully slow. Little has been achieved since the country restored political pluralism in November 1991. Where there was one party dominance, we have for the past 26 years had multiparty autocracy. This is perhaps the best we have achieved. Between 1981 and 1991 there was only one legalised party. Its leader learnt to bend the will of the country to his own. You toed the line or suffered political oblivion. That power has since been diffused. It has been scattered across a number of power barons who lord it over local populations. Not to be in Kanu before November 1991 meant that you were excluded from political opportunities and benefits. Not to be on the local bandwagon today is dangerous.

In a gone age, Kanu used to clear political aspirants for general elections. The party brought powerful individuals on their knees. They literally fell down and begged for mercy. Mvita’s Sharif Nassir cried. So, too, did Habenga Okondo of Bunyala. They wept before the dreaded disciplinary committee of David Okiki Amayo. Vice President Josephat Njuguna Karanja faced the wrath of Kanu. He was smoked out of office by a mob of legislators, baying for his political blood. Constitutional Affairs Minister, Charles Njonjo, was the political maestro who midwifed the Kenyatta succession and chaperoned President Moi to power. He, too, ate of the Kanu bread of sorrow. He was sunk into political limbo. The powerful Chief Secretary and Head of Public Service of the 1980s, Simeon Nyachae, was witch hunted into aloneness and loneliness, between 1988 and 1991.

Political machination

Then there was the sheer rigging of elections against individuals whom the State did not want. Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, Martin Shikuku, Masinde Muliro, George Anyona, Wamalwa Kijana, Clement Lubembe and a host of others suffered exclusion through rigged polls either during nominations or polls. It was because of this kind of chauvinism and political machination that Kenyans fought for multiparty democracy.

Regrettably, the panning of multiparty democracy in the country this far indicates little has been achieved. The political party is still a tool of exclusion. Where the party should have now evolved into a democratic institution with clear agenda, it has entrenched itself as a tool of enforcement of hero worship and repression within the ethnic community. Addressing members of the Institute of Certified Accountants of Kenya a few weeks ago, Kisumu Senator Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o referred to this practice as segmental autocracy.

Segmental autocracy has at least two phases. In the first phase, you have the political albatross towering over a segment of the whole population. He calls the political shots in a localised community. You may, therefore, have someone lording it over a region like Central, Rift Valley, Western or Nyanza. It may even be an alliance of such people, coming together to exercise power over chapters of the country. If you hail from any one region, you would be suicidal to be independent minded. The party leader thinks for you and decides for you. In this phase, the autocracy does not spread out to cover the rest of the country. However, should this person get into power, he will usher in the second phase of segmental autocracy. This takes the shape of excluding from the benefits of State all the tribes that fall under a different overlord.

Accordingly, the ongoing election primaries have once again exposed the soft underbelly of Kenya’s political parties and alliances. As has happened before, there is deficiency of both political party agenda and socio-economic agenda. It is difficult to even tell what any one of the parties stands for. The only known thing is that each has an owner whose line must be toed. Next to this is that the owner also seems to have political darlings, who must gain the party ticket, by hook or crook.

There has been appalling, but not unexpected, high drama and even violence. Election results have been cancelled and fresh ones scheduled. Ballot material has arrived late. Has this been deliberately calculated to shortchange some people? Aspirants and their supporters have been afraid of being cheated in the primaries. Threats, intimidation, verbal violence and affray have been the order of the day. In the end parties are coming across not as organised political mass movements with ideological agenda for the nation, but as outfits closely resembling Area Boys’ mob movements.

Each Area Boys’ mob is known to assemble around a mob leader. This is the bad boy on the block, the alpha male of the group. You don’t follow him because you like him. You play along because it is dangerous not to be part of his gang. You say good things about him. You obey his will. This way, you are safe. Your loyalty to the gang is your protection fee. While there is a wide range of parties to choose from, therefore, political aspirants cannot as much as begin thinking of operation outside the confines of the local gang.

Area boys

Even when it is well known that the bandleader does not like you, you just hang in there. The best you can do is to whine about perceived intentions to rig the election against you. You could also organise your own Area Boys and send them to mete out mayhem against your competitors.

The quest for multiparty democracy was never about devolving power from Kanu to segmental political overlords. It was always about giving Kenyans decent alternatives to chose from. Going forward, political parties must become vessels within which democracy is nurtured, ahead of formation of government. They need to demonstrate better organisational capacity, tolerance for diverse opinions and detribalised regional appeal.

- Mr Muluka is a publishing editor, special consultant and advisor on public and media relations [email protected]