Why Malala must go slow on push to fold up parties

Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua is yet to speak but you can as guess what he would say of his Maendeleo Chap Chap. Same to Senate Speaker and PAA founder Amason Kingi.

What Malala has conveniently forgotten is that his dalliance with President William Ruto was courtesy of ANC party and its leader, Mudavadi. The party actually gave him a more realistic chance to capture Kakamega governor seat than he could get in UDA.

If Mudavadi had stuck with Azimio, Malala would have had to either toe the line or jump ship without assurance of joining government.

Malala must also be aware of what happened to Jubilee before 2017 elections. At the time, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy Ruto saw it wise to ask all parties in the coalition to fold up and form Jubilee Party.

The intentions were right but time proved that things on the ground were different. In no time, Jubilee became a factional party with Ruto's faction now ending up as UDA.

At some point, Ruto might have regretted folding his URP and Kenyatta his TNA. While it is my wish we mature politically to the point of having two strong parties, I am also attuned to the fact that may just be a too far-fetched wish.

President Ruto learnt this the hard way. He tried to hold on to this maxim of a strong party for as long as he could towards the 2022 elections.

He spoke lowly of what he called regional parties only to end up with the same parties as part of Kenya Kwanza coalition. Being a sharp politician, he realised Kenyans love their own no matter how small.

Those little parties are the reason he is now President. Going by the numbers of 2022 elections, it is the little votes Ruto chipped off from Azimio in Western, Coast and Eastern that made the difference.

Additionally, it is courtesy of Kenya Kwanza coalition that various regions can claim a share of government; Musalia and Wetang'ula representing Western, Kingi representing Coast and Mutua representing Eastern. I am not sure this would have been possible if they didn't have parties to bargain with.

-The writer is anchor at Radio Maisha