Athman Amran
19 August 2007
analysis
Nairobi — One year after Narc-Kenya was formed, the flower party has largely been a shy and cautious outfit without a flag bearer or a timeframe to produce one.
It has desperately courted President Kibaki to lead it in the General Election later this year.
The party that celebrated its first anniversary yesterday - (two months late, having been launched on June 3, last year) - with a rally at the Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi finds itself in stiff competition for President Kibaki.
Narc-Kenya's main rival for the President's attention is the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), which touts the President) as its legal chairman. Narc-Kenya was founded after the disintegration of Narc, which brought President Kibaki to power after the historic defeat of the Independence Party, Kanu, in 2002.
The disintegration of the original Narc was inevitable from the time President Kibaki entered State House and was surrounded by his former DP loyalists from the Mt Kenya region.
The group was instrumental in ensuring the pre-election power sharing MoU between the two parties that formed Narc -National Alliance of Kenya (NAK) and the Rainbow Alliance - was thrown out of the window.
NAK comprised President Kibaki's DP, the late Wamalwa Kijana's Ford-Kenya and Mrs Charity Ngilu's National Party of Kenya, while the Rainbow Alliance comprised the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Kanu rebels.
The Kanu leaders defected from the then ruling party in protest over retired President Moi's choice of Uhuru Kenyatta as the presidential candidate.
Kanu had at this time adapted the name New-Kanu after the brief alliance with Raila Odinga's National Development Party (NDP).
The MoU envisaged equal representation in the Cabinet and the adoption of the Bomas draft constitution within 100 days.
The final break up of Narc came after the November 2005 referendum vote with LDP joining hands with the Official The two parties in the Orange camp opposed the contentious Wako draft constitution, which was supported by the Banana camp.
President Kibaki dissolved the Cabinet and in his next line up left out LDP's Raila, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, Mr Najib Balala, Mr William ole Ntimama, and Prof Anyang' Nyong'o.
He then incorporated more members from Kanu and Ford-People in the Government of National Unity (GNU), thus officially declaring the death of Narc and the end of the marriage between NAK and LDP.
Talk of the formation of Narc-Kenya, an offshoot of the Banana camp, had begun earlier but it was accelerated by the necessity to have candidates for the by-elections following the deaths of five MPs in a plane crash on April 10, last year.
The plane crash killed MPs Guracha Galgalo (Moyale), Bonaya Godana (North Horr), Titus Ngoyoni (Laisamis), Abdi Sasura (Saku) and Mirugi Kariuki (Nakuru Town).
Narc-Kenya got an opportunity to prove itself in the subsequent by-election. It scooped three of the five seats, defeating Kanu in its North Eastern turf. What gave Narc-Kenya clout was the fact that it comprised Cabinet ministers in addition to President Kibaki's open campaign for one of its candidates, Mr William Kariuki Mirugi, who went ahead to win the Nakuru Town parliamentary seat.
It was after this show of strength that a number of other MPs joined Narc-Kenya, giving the party a national face.
Mrs Charity Ngilu's refusal to give in as the Narc chairperson, also played a major role in the formation of Narc-Kenya. Kibaki's allies had to look for a re-election vehicle in the face of Ngilu's hard-line stand.
The President's co-option of opposition MPs into his GNU also boosted Narc-Kenya's fortunes. Last year, it created a national euphoria reminiscent of the marriage between Kanu and LDP in mid 2002. It bagged in a number of prominent Kanu, LDP and Ford-Kenya MPs.
It was in the same year that the party deliberately and firmly associated itself with development projects of the Narc Government to the chagrin of ODM leaders who claimed they had laid the foundation before President Kibaki sacked them.
Cabinet ministers and MPs allied to Narc-Kenya also made a point to follow the President during his whirlwind tour of the country, using the opportunity to market the party.
It also tried to convince Kenyans that the President would seek re-election on the party's ticket. The party even reserved the post of party leader for the President.
Narc-Kenya moved fast to hold grassroots elections in all the 210 constituencies. Though the exercise was not without chaos and claims of rigging and bias, it had formed national machinery.
Fighting tribalism
On its website, officially launched on October 1, last year, the party says the "political movement" was founded on "the vision and ideal of one Kenya, one nation, one people".
It goes on to say that it's ambition is to win political power "through a democratic process" and to institute "good governance, inclusiveness, and the rule of law ".
The party claims to be "a unifying, non-ethnic, non-individual" democratic movement and shall support women and the youth.
It has also promised to co-operate with religious bodies, unite Kenyans and eliminate any form of discrimination and marginalisation. It promises to fight for social justice and eliminate inequalities created by colonialism and the two successive independence regimes.
Further, it intends to build a nation with a common patriotism and loyalty in which the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the people is recognised.
Narc-Kenya chairman, Mr Raphael Tuju, recently claimed the party has registered over 3.5 million members and 420,000 registered officials.
"We have laid the foundation, learned the lessons, seized the opportunities and now it is time for us to walk the talk," Tuju says.
The party has 58 national officials, including eight vice-chairmen and three secretary-generals - all handpicked by Vice-President, Mr Moody Awori.
But with all the talk of its success, the party's path towards the General Election has not been as smooth.
Since late last year, it has faced stiff competition from DP, which did not take lightly the claim that President Kibaki was Narc-Kenya's presidential candidate.
Livestock minister, Mr Joseph Munyao, (DP's vice-chairman) has led the onslaught on the rose party. Other MPs from Central Province and parliamentary aspirants allied to DP supported Munyao in claiming that Narc-Kenya lacked a national appeal.
The rivalry between the two parties reached a climax after the chaotic and divisive Narc-Kenya grassroots elections.
Trouble is that a number of MPs, especially in Central Province, were defeated in the grassroots elections.
Among those defeated are Mr Waithaka Mwangi (Kinangop) Mr Nderitu Gachagua (Mathira) and Roads Assistant minister, Mr Joshua Toro.
Last month, Nyahururu Mayor, Mr Muritu Karumba, and Laikipia County Council chairman, councillor Jackson Machomba, led 14 other councillors in defecting from Narc-Kenya to DP. Ntonyiri MP, Mr Maoka Maore, also defected to DP from Kanu while ODM-Kenya pointman in Meru, Mr Mpuru Aburi, also joined the party.
DP has since become a thorn in the flesh of Narc-Kenya and alternative for those in Central Province.
"Our headache right now is how to conduct party nominations. We are receiving aspirants from very promising candidates," says Sam Nyamweya, the party's secretary general.
Another hiccup for Narc-Kenya is whether to hold national elections now or after the General Election.
"We do not have enough time for elections," Cabinet minister, Mr Njeru Ndwiga said recently.
On the other hand, MPs Mr Maina Kamanda, Mr Kipruto Kirwa and Prof Kivutha Kibwana want the national polls held before the General Election.
Coast MPs reject Narc-Kenya
Another blow to Narc-Kenya came from Coast Province. The party lost six MPs, two of them Cabinet ministers, to Shirikisho Party of Kenya (SPK).
Among those who defected are Transport minister, Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere, Tourism minister, Mr Morris Dzoro, Assistant minister Mr Ananiah Mwaboza and Mr Joseph Kingi. Others are MPs Mr Abdalla Ngozi and Mr Gonzi Rai.
Coast MPs still hanging on to Narc-Kenya are Heritage minister, Mr Suleiman Shakombo, Assistant minister, Mr Danson Mungatana, Lamu East MP, Mr Abu Chiaba and Lamu West MP, Mr Fahim Twaha.
The exodus followed leadership disagreements between Mwakwere, who is now SPK leader and Mungatana, one of Narc-Kenya leaders.
Mungatana termed the defection good riddance and long over due while his colleague, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi (secretary-general) says: "We as a party are committed to having a national party and not a regional tribal party like Shirikisho Party of Kenya."
Mwakwere claimed Narc-Kenya could not be sold at the Coast, arguing it was high time the region had a bargaining power in national politics.
Narc-Kenya is also toying with the idea of forming a coalition with other "like-minded parties" to ensure President Kibaki's re-election.
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