End of ANC and Ford Kenya, parties to be folded in a month time, says Khalwale

Boni Khalwale hip sugarcane at his sugarcane plantation in Malinya in Ikolomani [Photo:Standard/ Benjamin Sakwa]

The two major political parties in Western region will merge into one to promote a national outlook, according to former senator Boni Khalwale.

The politician said a team was working on the finer details of the merger between Amani National Congress (ANC) and Ford Kenya parties.

“We are just finalising the legal requirements of forming a new party and then have it registered at the Registrar of Political Parties before it is launched officially in a month's time. We welcome other leaders from Jubilee and Orange (Democratic Movement) parties to join the bandwagon as we prepare to take the presidency,” said Dr Khalwale (pictured) yesterday.

According to him, voters have welcomed the idea of forming one party that will be used by a Luhya presidential candidate in the 2022 elections.

“(Musalia) Mudavadi, Moses Wetang’ula and Governor Wycliffe Oparanya have all declared an interest in vying for the presidency. When that time comes, they'll agree who will run for the top seat."

Registered voters

He said the team was working on strategies to ensure that 90 per cent of registered voters would turn up to vote in 2022.

The former senator added that they wanted to ensure the electorate voted as a bloc, saying the region could not make it to the top seat alone.

He said the region had 5.7 million eligible voters, which gave their candidate a bigger say on sharing power at the negotiating table.

Governor Oparanya said he was ready to quit the Orange party and join Mr Mudavadi and Mr Wetang’ula in the new party.

“I'm willing to leave ODM and join my brothers in forming a formidable party that will sweep votes the same way Narc defeated Kanu in 2002,” he said.

The governor maintained that ODM leader Raila Odinga must support a Luhya candidate in the 2022 presidential elections.

He said the region had supported Raila's four unsuccessful stabs at the presidency - in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017 - and that it was now pay back time.