Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Parties catch the fever



By Peter Opiyo and Vitalis Kimutai

Campaign fever is fast catching up with political parties.
The general election date may not be clear yet, and may even be in March 2013, but inside political parties action stations have already been manned.
That is why there is jostling, unease and intensification of activity and rivalry among political parties as their leaders prepare for Kenya’s first election under the Constitution promulgated in August 2010.
The rebranding race, party takeovers, disputes over posts and election dates, and emergence of new alliances and collapse of the old ones send only one message to the country; we are in the electioneering period and the heat is bound to rise. That is also the reason new parties are coming up and the existing ones getting a fresh coat of paint as well as new friends.
But hanging around the necks of the party leaders is the burden of meeting the stringent conditions set out by the new Political Parties Act, among them election documents, official annual returns and meeting the threshold of registering at least 1,000 members in each county.
Apart from Eldoret North William Ruto’s United Republican Party launched on Sunday in Nairobi, some youthful MPs have also moved fast to register another new party — United Democratic Forum (UDF).
Disputes over colours
Disputes are also already emerging over party colours after the little-known Twaweza Party of Kenya (TPK) wrote to the Registrar of Political Parties complaining about the adoption of its main colour, yellow, by Party of National Unity Alliance and Ruto’s URP. "We have noted that the newly formed PNU Alliance and United Republican Party, headed by Mr Kiraitu Murungi and Mr William Ruto have adopted their dominant colour as yellow," said the protest letter.
It also emerged that another group plans to go to court today to protest against ministers who have joined new parties when they are still members of the Grand Coalition. So far, Cabinet ministers Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere, Mr Samuel Poghisio, Dr Naomi Shabaan and Assistant Ministers Kazungu Kambi, Asman Kamama, Linah Jebii Kilimo and William Cheptumo have associated themselves with the new URP party despite still technically being Orange Democratic Movement members.
Reports within URP indicate Mwakwere and Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo are tipped take the two slots of Vice-Chairman in the party while Kambi is proposed for Treasurer.
The UDF, which claims to have the support of at least 40 youthful MPs also announced it was not part of the PNU and was busy charting its political strategy and agenda. "We have completely parted ways with the past, have a new Constitution and must have a new way of doing things," explained Mr George Nyamweya who is a nominated PNU Member of Parliament.
He spoke at the end of a three-day National Executive Council (NEC) and Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting at Narumoru River Lodge, 30 kilometres outside Nyeri town.
The ODM is expected to hold repeat grassroots elections in selected branches across the country next week after a similar exercise was rocked by disputes last year while URP is slated to pick its officials between March 28-31.
While ODM suffered a jolt following chaotic grassroots elections in some counties, its National Elections Board has since ordered repeat polls. Speaking last week at the National Delegates Conference in Karen, its leader Prime Minister Raila Odinga said repeat elections would ensure the party emerges stronger.
Tighten grip
"I know there have been some complaints but we must empathise with both those who won and those who lost," Raila told the delegates.
Even as Ruto’s URP appears to tighten its grip in Rift Valley where United Democratic Movement (UDM) appeared to control until Ruto left to form URP last week, Agriculture minister Dr Sally Kosgei declared she is firmly in ODM and vowed to remain in the party.
"I am in ODM to stay and watch parties opposed to ODM lose the forthcoming general election. I do not want to be in the cold when that happens," she said.
It also appears the new Party of National Unity Alliance could have failed to attract affiliate members following declarations by Wiper Democratic Movement leader, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Kanu Chairman Mr Uhuru Kenyatta they are just ‘friends’ of the Alliance as they will not abandon their parties.
Skipped key meetings
PNU Chairman Prof George Saitoti has also been reluctant to join the Alliance, and has so far skipped two key meetings. Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi who is the PNU Alliance spokesman claims Ruto is affiliated to this alliance but the Eldoret North MP has stated this isn’t true.
"URP is not in PNU Alliance, but we are only part of the G7 alliance which brings together like-minded leaders (operating) under URP, Kanu, WDM, PNU and PNU alliance," Ruto said.
But as the jostling within and outside political parties gets frenzied, so does the deadline for compliance with the various aspects of the new Act approaches. Should the three parties agree to join PNU Alliance then it is required by the Political Parties Act they deposit a coalition agreement with the Registrar of Political Parties at least three months before the elections.
Though the PNU Alliance, last month, agreed to craft joint nomination rules, little has come out of the exercise and this might undermine the new alliance’s dream.
Uhuru bowed to pressure from his NEC-PG members to pull the Independence party out of PNU Alliance. "Even though I support the PNU Alliance, Kanu will conduct an independent recruitment drive for members across the country. The exercise is already ongoing," Uhuru said during a PNU Alliance meeting in Kileleshwa.
The Elections Act requires political parties to submit the nomination rules to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission at least six months before nominations.
The development came up as Kalonzo’s campaign team was dealt a blow as Mr Hassan Gullet, a former Permanent Secretary who had been picked by the VP as part of his political think-tank wavered over whether to take up the offer or not.
"I have not declined nor taken up the position I was offered by the Vice President. I will have made up my mind at the end of this month as there are many serious decisions to be made this electioneering year," Gullet said on the telephone. Another presidential aspirant, Assistant minister Peter Kenneth is claiming him.

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