Jubilee wars litmus test for Registrar of Political Parties

When she was picked in August 2018 as acting Registrar of Political Parties, Ann Nderitu might not have realised that the new role would thrust her into the limelight.

As the prefect of political parties, she has found herself swimming with the sharks.

Nderitu, who took over from Lucy Ndung'u, was little known when she served as an electoral training manager at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

But as the holder of the powerful office that regulates political parties, she must sustain the vibrancy of the office as well as safeguard it against political mercenaries likely to use it to harass their political competitors.

Analysts say her predecessor's style of leadership encouraged the growth of political parties in the country.

“Lucy's great achievement was that she never bent the law to suit anyone,” former South Mugirango MP Manson Nyamweya said.

However, he said Ndung'u did not do very well in addressing party hopping.

“Most people may ask if her successor will survive longer than her,” he said.

Like her predecessor whose eight-year tenure at the Lion Place-based office faced tough choices Nderitu is caught between a rock and a hard place.

The leadership wrangles roiling the ruling Jubilee party are set to prefer Nderitu her first baptism by fire, 20 months into the office.

She is expected to rule if Jubilee followed the procedures in making changes to the National Management Committee.

Nderitu will also decide if Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju and chairman Nelson Dzuya followed the law and submitted the required record to initiate the changes to the NMC.

The acting registrar of political parties will also have to weigh in on whether the Jubilee party constitution was followed while making the changes that have triggered a storm.

Lucy Nyawira Macharia, Prof Marete Marangu, Walter Nyambati, Jane Nampaso and James Waweru have been proposed to the membership of the Jubilee NMC in place of Veronica Maina, Fatuma Shukri and Pamela Mutua.

While Tuju has said the changes were initiated by the President who is the party leader, Deputy President William Ruto - the deputy party leader - has termed them “illegal and fraudulent”.

At least 146 MPs allied to Ruto and other party members have written to Nderitu opposing the changes.

Political analysts and observers will be closely watching her conduct to see how she manoeuvres the high-stakes power games.

With the battle for the leadership of the ruling party pitting President Uhuru Kenyatta against DP Ruto, this would not be a mean assignment for Nderitu.

Perhaps, she might be forced to summon the survival skills of her predecessor.

Ndung'u was among a few civil servants who enjoyed rare positive accolades across the political divide.

Once asked how she was able to work with politicians without becoming their target she said, “I always stick to the law and let my clients know they are free to challenge my interpretation in court at any time. Two, I always treat my clients [politicians] with utmost decorum, like I do other professionals such as lawyers and doctors.” 

During her tenure, Ndung'u rescued ODM and its presidential candidate Raila Odinga during the 2007 General Election.

Then Kalonzo Musyoka’s ally and lawyer Daniel Maanzo had left Raila without a party after successfully retaining the ODM Kenya instruments.

Maanzo had obtained the ODM-K registration certificate and then bolted into hiding, throwing Raila's presidential ambitions into jeopardy.

Ndung'u then facilitated Raila's acquisition of the ODM, giving the former Prime Minister the much-needed political lifeline to contest the 2007 polls.

This was in addition to standing up against President Mwai Kibaki's allies in their attempts to wrestle the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) from Charity Ngilu.

Kibaki's lieutenants were later forced to craft a new party, the Party of National Unity (PNU) at the 11th hour ahead of the 2007 polls.

Edited by A.N