Parliament has approved the Political Parties Bill with calls for amendments on certain clauses August 3, 2011. FILE
By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, August 3 2011 at 18:08
Posted Wednesday, August 3 2011 at 18:08
Parliament has approved the Political Parties Bill with calls for amendments on certain clauses.
The Bill is now headed for the Committee stage, where amendments are expected. The House has to approve the Bill with amendments and forward it to the President for assent before August 26, 2011.
Contributing to debate, Assistant minister Mwiria said coalitions are mainly formed in this country because of “hypocrisy; opportunism and dishonesty”.
He cited the example of ODM-K under Kalonzo Musyoka joining President Kibaki’s PNU so that he lands the Vice Presidency, yet all along during the 2007 campaigns, Mr Musyoka and ODM-K went all over the country abusing PNU’s leadership.
“It is the most hypocritical stance one can ever take,” said Dr Mwiria.
He said the ethnic arrangement in formation of coalitions was also bad for national cohesion, because it is a manifestation of tribalism. The minister said more politicians push for tribal groupings because of their own interests.
Dr Mwiria proposed that sanctions should be imposed on those who insist that their communities should go one way or another or imposed on those who advocate for ethnic coalitions.
MPs questioned the motive of the Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo, who in drafting the Bill, omitted the Prime Minister from a list of government officers who can hold posts in political parties.
Mr Olago Aluoch (Kisumu Town West, ODM) said the Bill will become law when the country still has a Prime Minister and that will mean that the current PM, Raila Odinga, will have to quit his post as the party leader of ODM.
“This Bill is saying that the PM cannot hold political office. Is this deliberate? Is this an oversight? The minister says it is an oversight. I hope it will be corrected when we come to the amendment stage,” said Mr Aluoch.
The Bill lists the President, the Deputy President, MP, Governor, deputy Governor and a member of county assembly as the only people who can hold their public positions and serve as officials in political parties.
Assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri said the current political parties were dictatorial to an extent that they have no “have no respect for individuals and also neglect their coalition partners”.
He added that for there to be genuine coalitions, there has to be trust among coalition partners so that the coalition serves as a precursor to mergers.
“Today we’re playing very dirty politics in this country. We have no respect for political parties. For the first time we should learn to disagree within political parties and sort out those differences within the political parties,” added Mr Kiunjuri as he called for a stop to party hopping by the disgruntled politicians.
Mr Aden Duale (Dujis, ODM), who’s facing eviction from ODM, condemned the chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution, saying he speaks too much and does so little.
“We have not heard you for fourty years. We want you to stop making noise. We want you to work. Leave Cabinet alone,” said Mr Duale in reference to the CIC’s call for the Cabinet to stop making substantial changes to Bills before they are brought to the House.
“Everyone in the conveyor belt in the implementation matrix has to play his role and not blame others,” added the Dujis MP.
Lands Minister James Orengo supported the Bill saying that the governments have been responsible for the death of political parties in post-independence Kenya.
“So long as the politicians live by the mischief of the past, then we shall not have national parties, with support from all over the country,” said Mr Orengo.
“A political party is not a political party by its size; it is the belief, what is stands for and the integrity that matters,” he added.
Mr Orengo said Kenya’s media obsession with the name-calling of politicians also helped spread the anarchy where people belong to one party but openly advocate for a rival party.
“This is nihilism in politics. It has no place in a democratic society,” the Lands Minister said.
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