Now Narc party files
are removed from registry
All files belonging to political parties affiliated to the ruling National Rainbow Coalition were yesterday removed from the shelves of the Registrar of Societies at Sheria House.
They were removed as coalition MPs allied to the Liberal Democratic Party openly rebelled against President Kibaki's statement that all Narc affiliates were obsolete.
The files, and a general one giving the update of all political parties, were demanded in the morning and taken to the office of Senior Assistant Registrar, Mrs C.K. Nyiha.
All public requests to search the files were "suspended until further notice," said a source at Sheria House.
The Registrar General, Ms Dorothy Angote said the fact that the Nation could not access them could have been because of the "usual end of year streamlining of the registry".
Other files, she said, were also being held for the "data-taking." She however did not say which other files were also removed from the public registry.
She denied there was anything strange about the removal of the files from the registry shelves, where they should be available to members of the public for a small fee.
"There is nothing mysterious going on. There is nothing mischievous. It could only be the usual end of year data streamlining."
President Kibaki on Monday said that individual parties ceased to exist when they joined the coalition in the run-up to last year's General Election.
"If you go to the registrar of societies today, you will realise that all parties affiliated to Narc no longer exist," he said.
In turn, LDP Secretary-General Joseph Kamotho asked anyone interested to pay a visit to the Registrar of Societies and find out that the party is duly registered.
Yesterday as a furore built up, President Kibaki released a statement intended to clarify that he did not direct deregistration of the parties.
Ms Angote said the files were intact in her office. She said her understanding of the President's statement was not that the parties had been banned or deregistered.
"That's not my understanding of what the President said. Therefore, the issue of deregistration and banning does not arise," said Ms Angote.
The President's statement was his first public intervention in the raging row that threatens to tear Narc down the middle.
The main affiliates are the Liberal Democratic Party and the National Alliance (Party) of Kenya. NAK is itself a grouping of political parties and pressure groups with the main ones being Democratic Party of which President Kibaki is the chairman, Ford Kenya whose chairman then was former vice-president, the late Michael Wamalwa and Health minister Charity Ngilu's National Party of Kenya.
The LDP is composed mainly of leaders previously in Kanu and who rebelled against then President Moi's support for Mr Uhuru Kenyatta as the party presidential candidate.
They took over the LDP and negotiated with NAK to form Narc. They were led in the rebellion, which they baptised the Rainbow Alliance, by Mr Raila Odinga, Prof George Saitoti, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Mr Moody Awori, all now senior cabinet ministers and members of the Narc Summit. Mr Awori is the Vice President.
When they took over the LDP from a journalist Dennis Kodhe, Mr Joab Omino was named national chairman and Mr Kamotho the secretary general.
But even as they wrangle with NAK under the banner of LDP, Mr Kamotho and Mr Omino are not anywhere in the records of the registrar of societies as officials of LDP.
The registered officials remain Mr Kodhe as chairman, Mr David Otuchi Wilfred as secretary general and Mr Peter Kithone as the treasurer. The party's registered office is Greenfields Estate house number 2358 in Nairobi.
Yesterday, Mr Kodhe said that although he gave the Rainbow Alliance members "a lift" to enable them negotiate with NAK, they hijacked his party and gave themselves titles.
"I have always wondered why the press keeps on referring to these people as officials. They are not," said Mr Kodhe.
He accused the Rainbow group of refusing to honour a Memorandum of Understanding that would have formalised the handover.
"Definitely, we don't recognise them as officials. When did they hold elections?" he asked.
But even as the drama of the political parties file continued to unfold, the LDP described the president's statement as being tantamount to dictatorship.
"The LDP eschews dictatorship based on single party or a single person," Mr Kamotho said at a press conference at Serena Hotel attended by 11 MPs and hundreds of supporters.
The President, the Mathioya MP added, could not decide the fate of parties in the coalition unilaterally and his statement was going against tenets of democracy.
Mr Kamotho added: "We are dismayed that the statement attributed to the President suggests that he can unilaterally decide fundamental issues on behalf of all political parties in the Narc Coalition."
"This statement is ultra vires and negates the very principles of good governance in political parties and the spirits of democracy, harmony, cooperation and coalition building," he said amidst cheers from supporters who turned up at the conference.
The party would continue with its grassroots elections and other programmes as an independent party and would not participate in the the coalition's recruitment drive as announced by the President.
They said the current Narc constitution did not provide for the recruitment of new members as implied by the president.
"The LDP will continue with its strengthening exercise including establishment of its branch network and party organs."
He argued that nobody had the powers to dissolve the party that was registered in 1999, except through a resolution of its members.
Mr Kamotho argued that constituent parties forming the National Alliance (Party) of Kenya (NAK) should first dissolve before any discussions on the matter could be brought to the attention of LDP.
But Mr Kamotho was quick to say that the party was not criticising the President but wanted to "state the facts as they were."
He explained that the current membership of the coalition were only political parties.
"The Constitution of Narc states in article 3 that currently membership of Narc is only open to political parties," he said. "These parties as corporate entities have a right to decide who with, when and how to associate."
"The political parties also have a right to merge or dissolve as they may individually decide."
Mr Kamotho spoke as hundreds of youths who were ferried by matatus to the venue of the conference cheered him on as he answered questions with chants of Tell them!
The Mathioya MP said that LDP was committed to the coalition as a senior partner and was ready to ensure that election pledges were delivered.
Transport Assistant Minister Andrew Ligale appeared briefly at the hotel and left while his Labour counterpart Peter Odoyo arrived minutes after the conference was over. Assistant Minister George Khaniri arrived when the conference was on.
Those present were Mr Gor Sungu (Kisumu Town East), Mr Eric Nyamunga (Nyando), Mr Philip Okundi (Rangwe), Dr Oburu Oginga (Bondo), Mr Charles Owino Likowa (Migori), Mr Peter Owidi (Kasipul Kabondo), Mr William Omondi (Kasarani), Mr Zaddock Syongo (Gwasi) and Mr Joe Khamisi (Bahari).
Also present were Narc election board officials allied to the LDP among them Ms Mumbi Ng'aru, Prof Larry Gumbe, Mrs Mereso Agina and Mr Shariff Hussein Omar.
But clarifying his position President Kibaki said Narc had brought the country together and was the appropriate vehicle for the government to deliver on its promises to the people of Kenya.
He said Kenyans voted for Narc MPs and councillors and not individual political parties.
Narc was registered as a single political entity, he said in a statement issued by the Presidential Press Service.
He said his pronouncement during his extensive tour of Kwale district on Monday was in the spirit of the April declaration by Narc MPs that the party should work towards being a unified entity by January 2004.
The President also said that his statement was consistent with his promise to Kenyans during his inauguration one year ago that Narc would be unified into a single party.
The President called upon Narc leaders to educate Kenyans on the importance of the unity of the Party.
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Reported by Mburu Mwangi, David Mugonyi and Bernard Namunane
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