The Registrar of Political Parties has declined requests to register at least 176 political parties, some mirroring DP William Ruto’s hustler nation narrative.
While the hundreds sought name clearance, only 21 jumped the hurdles and managed to receive certificates of provisional registration awaiting further scrutiny.
Documents from the office show it could have nipped in the bud suspect outfits fronted on tribal or social platforms. Of the 176 parties that sought registration, at least 10 proposed names that mirror Ruto’s hustler nation ideologies and campaign slogans.
They included the Jubilee Asili Party, the Hustlers and Achievers Party of Kenya, the Hustlers Alliance Party of Kenya, Hustle, the Strive and Achieve Party of Kenya and the National Alliance of Hustlers and Achievers Party of Kenya.
Others were National Party of Hustlers and Achievers of Kenya, and Hustlers and Ground Masses Party of Kenya.
However, the registrar rejected the hustler names on the basis that they seek to unite on social status, threatening the country’s peaceful co-existence.
DP Ruto, who vowed in 2013 that Jubilee was formed to end the culture of tribal parties, has embarked on a charm offensive and is spearheading creation of regional parties.
Image: FILE
The DP has fashioned himself as the real hustler from Sugoi who rose from a roadside chicken seller to become the country’s second in command and has whipped the youth to reject the scions of Kenya’s privileged families.
After a rigorous legal and physical verification process, only three parties managed to get full registration, pushing the country’s parties to 71.
Party of Economic Democracy, The Service Party and the National Ordinary People Empowerment Union are the only parties that met all the statutory requirements and were fully registered.
The Party of Development and Reform managed to complete its change of name to United Democratic Party, an outfit also associated with Ruto.
A party given provisional status must be subject to a rigorous process by the registrar’s’ office to ensure it has physical offices, verified details of governing body officials and membership data.
Many parties that seek provisional registration even after going through the name search stage, fail to comply with the strict provisions of the law on membership and even physical offices.
Among those rejected were names seen as promoting registration of parties based on social groupings, an element that goes against the principles for registration of parties in Kenya
Let us move away from negative ethnic politics. Let us not talk about tribal unity
Raila Odinga
The registrar also declined proposed registration on the basis of resemblance in colours and symbols.
Some politicians seeking registration of political parties through name searches saw their requests turned down based on the fact that their proposed names do not ‘make meaning’.
On Tuesday, ODM leader Raila Odinga warned against what he termed a dangerous push by politicians to form ethnic parties, saying they threaten the country’s stability and entrenches tribalism.
“Let us move away from negative ethnic politics. Let us not talk about tribal unity. For example, (some will say) let us first unite as Kikuyus before we go and unite with Merus and Embus to become Gema, then come and unite with the rest of Kenyans,” Raila said.