Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia has called for strengthening of political parties in bid to shun divisive politics and give the parties a national outlook.
While regretting that most of the political parties are not ideologically driven, Kimemia said that some of the parties are just formed to serve as electoral vehicles, only heard of, at election time, with no known contacts in between elections periods.
He said that the parties had failed to articulate coherent ideologies, develop concrete political programmes and establish national following.
“Our country has not been able to have strong political parties as they are formed during electoral period with most of them being tribal based. If the country had at least two or three strong political parties as it is in other democracies this would help tackle challenges of tribalism, ethnicity and political class,” said Kimemia at his Ol Kalou town office when he met the Registrar of Political Parties Ms. Anne Nderitu.
Kimemia at the same time urged Jubilee party leadership to streamline its organization and management to make it stronger in its affairs.
“I would like to urge the Jubilee leadership to strengthen the party welfare by building its capacity. It is also time for the leadership to eject those people who are not supporting the party in an effort to clean the “house” ahead of the much expected general elections,” added Kimemia.
On her part Ms Nderitu, emphasized on the need for the formation of parties that are known across the country as required by the Political Parties registration Act.
“Our office is committed towards strengthening the political parties based on their ideologies and manifesto so as we can have parties that do not just collapse after the election period.
“I am urging political parties to continue generating their manifestos as we approach the 2022 elections so that we can play politics of development and not dividing Kenyans,” she added.
She observed that Political parties fulfil a vital intermediate role between citizens and the state, in which they are supposed to represent citizens’ interests and translate these into a policy agenda that responds to citizens’ concerns.
By Jesse Mwitwa
