Big parties in crisis ahead of April 30 deadline

By VITALIS KIMUTAI

Parties are waking up to new realities as the clock ticks towards the next general election and politicians are rushing to prepare their political vehicles for the big race.

Struck by the reality of weakening loyalty to parties, individual presidential candidates are busy endearing themselves to voters, selling what they stand for rather than the manifesto of their parties.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday attended a service at the Faith Evangelistic Ministry church, Nairobi. [PHOTO: VPPS/STANDARD]

Political realignments are also beginning to take shape as leaders team up but the party that unites them remains a big challenge as most keep supporters guessing. A number of leading contenders have yet to formally declare the parties whose sponsorship they will be seeking as they run for the presidency.

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to name his party of choice this month but has been campaigning on the platform of G7 Alliance, sharing a platform with Eldoret North MP William Ruto who recently launched the United Republican Party (URP) after decamping from ODM. But on the other hand Uhuru is putting up a fight for Kanu where he is facing serious challenges, but at the same time, he is being linked to the PNU Alliance.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga is also hoping to clinch the ODM ticket from his party deputy Musalia Mudavadi who has put up a strong campaign to win over delegates in the last two months.

Party of National Unity’s Prof George Saitoti is sticking to the party he has led a as chairman while his Secretary General Mr Kiraitu Murungi has decamped to register the Alliance Party of Kenya seen as a vessel to bring together the many parties of the PNU.

Grappling

Analysts now argue political parties, which have been personality- based in an era when voters tended to follow individuals and not party ideologies, are grappling with a new reality. This is the pure presidential system entrenched in the Constitution, which is expected to further weaken parties.

"With no Cabinet posts to promise politicians it is becoming difficult to campaign promising to dish out ministerial positions," argued political scientist and former Minister Dr Amukoa Anangwe.

Records at the Registrar of Political Parties show that the smaller political parties have beaten major ones in the race to comply with new Political Parties Act guidelines. Major political parties including Kanu, PNU, Wiper Democratic Party and ODM have been caught napping as the clock ticks towards the April 30 dateline to meet the new conditions or face deregistration.

Gichugu MP Martha Karua’s Narc Kenya party became the pacesetter as it emerged first to comply with laws in the new constitutional order seeking to install order in political parties. "We are proud to be the first political party to be fully compliant with the Constitution and the new political dispensation," an elated Karua said upon receiving certificate of compliance from Registrar of Political Parties Ms Lucy Ndung’u.

Assistant Minister Peter Kenneth’s Kenya National Congress (KNC) was one of the few parties who followed in the footsteps of Narc-Kenya by seeking to comply with the new laws.

"We have complied with requirements of the new Political Parties Act in readiness for the election. We are awaiting a compliance certificate from the Registrar before rolling out campaigns in all the 47 counties," Kenneth said.

Labour Party of Kenya led by Dr Julia Ojiambo and which youthful Presidential hopeful Ms Kingwa Kamencu has been identified with has also submitted its documents to the Registrar. "We have put our house (LPK) in order ahead of starting campaigns. It would not have been in order to start campaigning before meeting the minimum constitutional requirement for registration," Kamencu said.

National Vision Party (NVP) led by former Cabinet Minister Nicholas Biwott has also sought registration ahead of the deadline, as has Party of Action (POA) led by former Foreign Affairs Minister Raphael Tuju.

Other parties that have sought registration are: Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), Mazingira, United Democratic Front Party (UDFP), National Democratic Movement (NDM), Restore and Build Kenya and WMD.

Ms Ndung’u revealed that out of the 47 political parties in the country, only 15 had by last Friday submitted documents as they seek to comply with the law in order to participate in the next General Election.

The Registrar publishes the party name, symbol and colours once she receives them and invites individuals or parties with objections to state their case. Ndung’u says that following implementation of 2007’s Political Parties Act, the number of parties in the country reduced from 168 to the current 47.

"Previously parties were only required to have 2,000 members in eight provinces to qualify for registration. But the new law demands that they have 1,000 members in at least 24 Counties, incorporate the minority and marginalised groups and factor in gender parity in its leadership structure," Ndung’u stated.

Party hopping

Willis Otieno, a lawyer says the new laws would bring to an end traditional party hopping especially by those losing out during party nominations. "A party has to demonstrate that not more than two-thirds of members of its governing body are of the same gender and meet the integrity threshold set out in Chapter Six of the Constitution and other laws relating to ethics," Otieno stated.

Mr Otieno said the Act provides for formation of coalition by two or more political parties before or after an election. The parties should deposit a coalition instrument with the Registrar of Political Parties.

Mr Dishon Kirima, the New Democratic Party (NDP) is confident that the party would comply with the new laws ahead of the set dateline.

ODM National Executive Council (NEC) members meet this week to discuss proposed changes to the party’s constitution on election and nomination processes — an issue that has fired up rivalry between Raila and Mudavadi.

Kanu Vice chairman Gideon Moi and Secretary General Nick Salat have called for a special NDC on April 14 to ratify changes in the constitution so as to comply with the laws.

Prof Larry Gumbe a former chairman of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) said it was wrong, if not unconstitutional, to order parties to register afresh when they already had structures across the country.

On April 30 deadline Dr Carey Onyango, a political analyst, explained: "What will happen is that the existing parties would need to seek registration afresh and pay extra levies."

Ndung’u has also expressed fear that there will be a challenge in holding parties, which would not meet minimum requirement for registration, to account for money part of Sh200 million they received from the government in the last financial year.

Mr Martin Kamwaro, a lawyer and United Democratic Movement (UDM) Secretary General said the parties would still be held to account irrespective of whether they beat the registration deadline or not.

"Political parties have become corporate entities which can sue or be sued. They must account for the money they receive from public coffers," Kamwaro argued.