Cash constraints, party leaders' interests, and fears of infiltration by forces out to scuttle political parties is the reason the entities don't hold elections to fill leadership slots.
A number of key political formations have not held elections to fill the highly-coveted chairman, deputy chairman, secretary, and treasurer posts - for years on end.
The case is the same for the ruling party Jubilee, ODM, Wiper, Ford Kenya, Amani National Congress among other bigger parties that define Kenya’s polity.
An attempt to hold polls for the slots has been marred by chaos, confusion, and uncertainty.
Raila Odinga's ODM party's botched February 2014 was a classic example of the failed quest.
Then, the infamous ‘Men in Black’ destroyed ballot boxes, clouding efforts for a successful vote.
The party opted for boardroom negotiations to fix the mess, a move which has been adopted by its rivals whose attempts to fill the slots failed.
Elections are costly. Parties might want to go for the cheaper option owing to the cost constraints. The cheaper option is boardroom negotiations, which can also go wrong
It named John Mbadi as chairman with four deputies, Edwin Sifuna is the current secretary general having been handpicked after Foreign Affairs CAS Ababu Namwamba left.
Notable names included Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi (Political Affairs Secretary) and Suna East legislator Junet Mohammed as director of campaigns.
The party, however, conducted successful polls at the branches, a move that settled strife at the grassroots.
The elections, for instance, saw Homa Bay delegates elect Gladys Wanga as chairperson ending months of bitter wars at the branch.
Before the 2017 general election, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised Jubilee Party members that they would hold polls to replace interim officials.
The party has confirmed the officials as bonafide holders of the chairman, vice chairman – which is now vacant with the exit of David Murathe, secretary general among others.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru among other leaders have been calling on the party leadership to sanction elections to fill the posts with legitimate holders.
“It is imperative and in order that Jubilee holds party elections as soon as possible to forestall internal divisions...Jubilee needs leadership that has a legitimate mandate and the people’s support,” she earlier said.
Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC) was in the news after it made an attempt to install Barrack Muluka as secretary general.
Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi challenged the move at the Political Parties Tribunal.
The court ruled that the lawmaker remains party secretary-general until Amani holds elections 'in strict compliance with the party constitution'.
However, Muluka moved to the High Court where the matter is pending.
An insider said the seats were dished out at the behest of the party leader.
The source added that some of those who claim to hold positions in Amani are not in the political parties’ registrar files.
The danger of not conducting polls is that a party ends up with people who don’t qualify to hold the posts. The best of brains are not willing to go through the murky waters of political competition. Those who accept do so out of desperation
However, a source at the Political Parties Registrar intimated to the Star that much as the parties have strived to fill the posts to comply with the law, party leaders have named their cronies to take up the positions.
“A number of party leaders cannot open the gates in fear of being challenged by those who earn the slots in a vote by delegates,” the source said.
Interviews with party managers revealed a uniform pattern of a deliberate decision to shelve the agenda of elections in the wake of funding constraints and interests.
The interests arise from within the parties, that is by its leaders dictating terms, and from outside forces keen on planting their stooges.
Wiper chief executive officer Jared Siso told the Star that the party is now mulling over a plan to hold grassroots elections from which it will raise delegates for a national vote.
He decried that parties in Kenya, across the board, are poorly funded.
“There is also a fear of infiltration by well-endowed parties who position their members who enter and wreck parties from within.” he said adding, "We need to find a system of funding our political parties to make them vibrant drivers of democratic ideals".
Peter Odoyo, a commissioner at the ODM national elections board, argues that it will take longer for the matter to be sorted, especially with lack of proper organisation seen in most parties.
He added that interests by party bosses have always clouded efforts to conduct polls, a situation he says is not unique to Kenya.
