NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Kenyan political parties are carrying initiatives to secure funds for the registered parties for the first since the country got independence in 1963.
The leading parties have been enjoying the national cake for last five decades with minimal support to the young and weak political parties.
The Political Parties Liason Committee (PPLC) has been spearheading efforts to establish a law allowing all the registered parties to get funds from the government.
“We are drafting amendments to change the punitive law which ensured that only the two biggest parties benefit. So as to expand the democratic space, the fund meant for the strengthening political parties should benefit app the 66 political parties,” PPLC chairperson, Irungu Nyakera told Daily Nation of Kenya.
According to the newspaper, Kenya’s two main parties, Jubilee (the ruling party) and ODM (the main opposition party) shared $3,710,000 from the government coffers to run their parties.
The chairperson criticized the law allowing main and active parties to resource from the government.
“It is evident that someone made this law with ill motives. Rules should be made objectively for posterity and not for short terms gains,” he stated.
The rule articulates that for a party to receive the funding, it should have at least three county governors, 20 lawmakers, 40 MCAs (local councilors) and should be the party which got 3% of the total vote in the last election.
For Kenya’s neighbors including Ethiopia, Uganda and Somalia have even laws indicating and allowing fund for parties.
Uganda has been accused of even squeezing the opposition parties and denying them free movement to involve in the country’s ruling.
Before April last year, when Prime minister Abiy Ahmed assumed office, Ethiopia was somewhat practicing a one way funneled fund.
The coalition party which had been ruling the country had been enjoying the privileges.
Despite temporarily registering for about fifty political parties, Somalia has a long way to go before testing the benefits of multiparty benefits.
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