Why we're blind fans of village political parties

KADU Asili, a party domiciled at the Coast and best known for its obscurity, has rediscovered its voice.

Like a bird that finds grain after a long dry spell, its leader Mudzo Nzili, a former trade unionist, now claims President William Ruto is recycling old projects and selling them to the region as his own. It’s his right to speak.

But until last week, where has KADU Asili been hiding since Dr Ruto’s election in 2022? Is the party even aware that relevance is earned, not assumed?

By the way, how would officials of a party with no single elected MP or MCA checkmate those in power when they reason exactly like illiterate villagers arguing over Arsenal and Man-U inside a bush club in Kathwana? Parties whose positions shift with the wind are empty debes. I’m afraid these village-level parties will forever amuse us. Today, as we speak, I officially belong to Amani National Congress. Only the birds know how I became a registered member. Guess what? I’m not alone. Thousands of Kenyans are registered by parties they know nothing about.

In the same vein, several outfits exist in records of the Registrar of Political Parties yet only their owners have heard of them. But because our politicians tout power, the surest route is endless formation of parties and coalitions in pursuit of influence, relevance and public funding. It’s greed on a high scale.

This is why Kenya has become a graveyard of dormant parties, abandoned alliances and forgotten experiments. Every election cycle births new outfits, only for many to wither away once the winds shift or their founders secure a place at the high table. Call them briefcase parties.

On Thursday, Parties Registrar John Cox Loririonok said they are vetting more than 30 parties seeking registration. He warned that ‘briefcase’ parties are proliferating. Many are little more than village outfits designed to entrench tribal interests. Mr Loririonok’s alarm has come a little too late!

I’d also like to do a simple survey. How many voters know what the People’s Empowerment Party, Dajaya ya Kenya, Wakenya Tujibebe, Vitendo na Sera Party, the Democratic Action Party of Kenya, the People’s Democratic Party, the Devolution Empowerment Party (the ‘Mbaas’ party), Chama cha Mashinani, Service Party, Chama Cha Kazi and Pamoja African Alliance stand for? That is precisely the point. The common denominator is they aren’t consequential enough.

Kenya currently has 96 fully registered parties, 48 of which are funded by taxpayers. This is the highest numbers in the region. How many more do we need to feel politically secure? Word has it that Senator Edwin Sifuna’s ‘Linda Mwanachi’ will soon become a party! Perhaps I should also form the Kaguria People’s Party and use it to bargain something for my village. At this rate, it seems every village will register a party because of the perception that it gives you access to the feeding trough.

However, what we must confront is the ideological bankruptcy that cuts across. While it would be unfair to dismiss every small party at face value, they must invest in visibility and public engagement. In politics, image is everything. An example worth emulating is the Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP), associated with my friend Isaac Kalua Green, which creatively engages young people in environmental conservation.

We must push parties to rise above seeking seats through convenience and opportunism rather than principle. Turning to the ‘big boys’ like UDA, ODM and Wiper, why should they be larger than life? We’ve repeatedly heard of aspirants being asked to part with hefty sums to secure nomination certificates. Proxies and allies of party leaders are often accused of minting money from candidates.

Ahead of 2027, we must resist being used to advance selfish regional or ethnic interests. Parties that only emerge to bargain for positions and share the spoils are not offering a meaningful alternative voice and must thus be rejected. If we continue normalising briefcase parties, we will face the music.

-The writer is a communications practitioner.