OMACHE: Kenya must move beyond ethnic political parties

Tribal and regional arithmetic has dominated Kenya’s political landscape since the 1963 parliamentary elections. At the time, the country had two main political parties competing against each other, both largely organised along ethnic lines.

Kenya African National Union drew most of its support from the Luo and Agikuyu communities, while Kenya African Democratic Union largely represented minority groups.

The reintroduction of multiparty democracy in 1991 did little to change this pattern. Ethnic alignments soon resurfaced, contributing to the fragmentation of the opposition movement, Forum for the Restoration of Democracy, into Ford–Kenya and Ford–Asili. Over time, most parties developed strong regional or ethnic bases.

The 1997 general election clearly illustrated this trend. Major communities rallied behind their regional candidates, including Mwai Kibaki, Wamalwa Kijana, Charity Ngilu and Raila Odinga, while President Daniel arap Moi retained strong support in the Rift Valley.

Although the 2002 election somewhat reduced the intensity of tribal politics, alliances were still largely driven by regional interests rather than ideology. Since independence, only a few parties—including ODM, Jubilee and UDA—have attempted to project a national outlook.

The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties recently warned that several parties have not complied with provisions of the Political Parties Act of Kenya requiring political outfits to establish offices in at least half of the country’s counties before full registration.

This requirement should serve as a wake-up call to leaders forming tribal or regional political vehicles. Kenya needs strong national parties built on ideas and policies rather than ethnic arithmetic. Moving away from tribal politics would strengthen democracy, reduce tensions during elections and promote national unity.

The writer is based at Kisii University