• ODM says the proposal is an affront on democracy and the institutionalisation of parties as envisaged by framers of the Constitution.
• Wiper notes that the law should be re-looked into to protect parties from bully partners.
Image: FILE
The main political parties face a bleak future after the state proposed a mischievous law with the intention of slashing their funding by the exchequer.
On Thursday, the parties warned that they would strongly oppose the proposed amendments to the Political Parties Act, 2011 changing the revenue sharing quota.
The Orange Democratic Movement, Wiper and Amani National Congress faulted the state’s push to peg the Political Parties Fund on the national government shareable revenue.
This means that parties will get their share after deduction of mandatory national government expenses and county governments’ equitable share.
The law as it is, sets the sharing quota on 0.3 per cent of the total revenue raised nationally, giving parties room to get large allocations from the National Treasury.
Parties need money to fight elections, produce literature, carry out research, employ full-time officials and advisers, and hold conferences.
They argue that the state’s real intention to tinker with the formula would be to drastically reduce money allocated to the Political Parties Fund with the aim of starving them.
The net effect would be to weaken, usher in briefcase parties and entrench future dictatorship by those who would be in power, they say.
ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire said Kenya had come of age as a beacon of democracy in the region and must guard against any attempts to claw back the gains made.
Bosire said the concept of public funding was established in law to enable parties develop strong institutions that nurture, guide correct governance and entrench democracy.
“Parties represent the interests of the citizenry. It is important that any country promotes an enabling environment that values livelihoods and human rights by having strong parties,” Bosire said.
According to the former Kitutu Masaba MP, the move will weaken parties, open floodgates for social instability as future governments will fight to entrench dictatorship and their leadership.
"Kenya is mature enough to develop such institutions. Mistakes we make today, will follow the next generation in a disastrous way if we do not appreciate the role of strong parties,” he said.
The Political Parties Act, 2011 which established the Political Parties Fund, sets an allocation of not less than 0.3 per cent of national revenues to political parties to entrench democracy.
However, the National Treasury has previously reckoned that Kenya cannot afford to cede 0.3 per cent of its revenues to the main political parties without hurting government operations.
The Treasury has never allocated the actual amount in the quota to parties citing revenue shortfalls.
Now, in amendments contained in the Statute Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2020, the National Treasury has made good its threats to change the current quota.
“... such funds not being less than 0.3 per cent of the national government shareable revenues net of mandatory and non-discretionary expenditures of the government,” reads the proposed amendment.
Parties now claim the net effect of the amendment to Section 24 (1a) of the Political Parties Act, 2011 is that the Treasury will factor in the fund after meeting national government obligations such as loans.
The national revenues continue to dwindle, counties want more cash and the government is on a borrowing spree, leaving parties with a small share.
Wiper vice-chairman Victor Swanya said parties must continue enjoying public funding to strengthen and build them for the future.
“Political parties are at the centre of democracy and social justice for the citizenry. Parties are the voices of Wanjku and must be built to become large institutions that don’t rely on individuals,” he said.
Swanya, however, noted that the law should be looked into to avoid situations where bully partners refuse to share money with other parties.
“This is something that as a party we believe must be addressed to avoid squabbles in coalitions like what we are experiencing in Nasa,” he said.
ANC secretary general Barrack Muluka said the import of the Political Parties Fund was to entrench democracy and institutionalise parties.
Muluka, whose ANC says it has never enjoyed the fund after "ODM reneged on their covenant", insisted that any attempts to reduce the fund must be resisted.
“You cannot grow democracy if you starve parties of funding. The proposed amendment must not see the light of the day if we are serious about enhancing democracy,” he said.
Jubilee and ODM are the only political parties that have been benefiting from the political parties fund given their performance in the last election.
According to the Act, 80 per cent of the fund is to be distributed proportionately, considering the total number of votes garnered by each political party in the preceding General Election.
- mwaniki fm