Kenya
Kenyan govt party merges with opposition before elections

Misanet.com / IPS, 18 March - The headline in Kenya's Daily Nation sums up the importance of the Kasarani joint delegates conference for the country's political future - "It's D-Day". The paper warned; "The hour of reckoning is finally here." 

The historic merger of President Daniel arap Moi's Kenya African National Union (KANU) party and Raila Odinga's National Development Party (NDP) marks the most dramatic change to Kenya's political landscape in years.

After four years of tortuous courtship, the merger was sealed - dramatically increasing the ruling party's chances of winning general elections due before the end of the year. NDP was the second largest opposition party and commands massive support among Odinga's ethnic Luo voters from western Kenya. 

Some 6,000 delegates from the two parties cheered approval as the resolution was read out: "We the members of KANU being citizens of Kenya and being desirous of merging our political parties into one united strong and dynamic party do hereby merge under the name of Kenya African National Union."

In the elections, Kenyans will choose a new president - their third since independence. Moi has been ruling for 23 years, making him one of Africa's longest standing presidents. The constitution bars him from running again and Moi has indicated his willingness to stand down. But he has not yet named a successor.

There has been intense debate over the allocation of party posts at Monday's conference because it is seen as a key indicator of President Moi's likely choice. These national officials will lead the merged party into the elections and the post-Moi era. 

Over the past few weeks, a dozen senior politicians announced their intention to stand for the four newly created party vice-chairperson posts. There have been intense lobbying and back room deals to win the delegates support and eliminate opponents. 

At Monday's conference, long-standing Vice-President and heir apparent George Saitoti dramatically announced that he was withdrawing his name from the race. Pundits are predicting this signals the end of his political career.

His political rivals, such as Kajiado councillor Daniel ole Muyaa, could not hide their glee. Saitoti is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kajiado. "The future for Saitoti ended today. He has stepped down as the vice-chairman of the party. What else is he after? He was not born a politician by nature." 

- In Kajiado, we don't want him, he said. "If he wants to leave the party, we are comfortable. Now my agenda is to continue going ahead to oppose him and to make sure that I'll send him out of Kajiado," he promised, speaking outside the conference.

Instead, four of the so-called Young Turks were chosen - Uhuru Kenyatta, grandson of Kenya's founding president Jomo Kenyatta, Musalia Mudavadi and Ronald Ngala - both sons of former cabinet ministers - and Kalonzo Musyoka. NDP leader, Raila Odinga was elected unopposed as KANU secretary general. These five men are now KANU's leading presidential contenders.

There will now be another delegates' meeting - probably in May or June - to decide upon and announce the presidential candidate, together with the merged party's manifesto and campaign platform.

Speaking after the elections, President Moi reiterated his intention to hand over power to the younger generation. "I have said and I will say again now that I would like to see younger people take over the running of affairs in this country." 

- As you all know Kenya is a young nation, he went on. "Over 81 percent of our population, that is over 24 million Kenyans, are under 35 years of age; whereas only 19 percent of the population is over 35 years old. It is reasonable to conclude that unless younger people are involved in the running of the affairs of this country there will be communication gaps with a large part of our population," he said.

Government critics and the media have dismissed the delegates' conference as undemocratic because it was not by secret ballot. Instead, winning candidates were chosen by acclamation, which means that names were read out and the delegates cheered their approval. 

One choice - of Kipgeny arap Ng'eny as the party's deputy treasurer - was resoundingly booed. The minister has been taken to court for the alleged missing of millions of shillings when he was head of the state-owned Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation in the early 1990s.

The angry crowd called out for someone else to be nominated. But President Moi merely told the delegates that complaints should be forwarded to the returning officer.

A Sunday Nation editorial describes the system as one where "the free will of party members is subordinated to the wishes of the party power brokers. It is a backward, retrogressive system which, even though it sustains an appearance of order and unity, perpetuates mediocrity and sycophancy," the paper charges.

Analysts are now waiting for the political fall-out. Kenyans wonder what Saitoti and his political allies from the Old Guard, like William Ntimama, will do now that they have been scorned in favour of politically inexperienced youngsters. Will they run to join the opposition or be complacent with their ousting?

By Katy Salmom, IPS

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