Yesterday an advert in the papers stated the Social Democratic Party had changed its name to the Communist Party of Kenya.
It said the CPK would follow a Marxist-Leninist path towards building a classless society and socialist state.
The Communist Party will not get mass support in the near future. Kenya has too many small landowners, entrepreneurs and workers with side hustles.
Nevertheless, this is a revolutionary moment. Political parties in Kenya are primarily ethnic. They mobilise supporters in one or two regions and then form alliances to achieve political power. Ethnic parties are driven by self-interest rather than ideology.
The CPK is a truly ideological party. It may not get many votes but it will get them from all corners of the country, irrespective of tribe. It will attract voters who want a more equal Kenya, not voters who want a Kikuyu, Kalenjin or Luo to be president.
The day democracy will start working properly in Kenya is when a capitalist party, a farmers party, a labour party, and perhaps the communist party compete for power. Issues will become the primary concern of politics, not tribe.
Quote of the day: "Sometimes it's easy to go where the wind blows, but those that stand firmly planted are forces to be reckoned with."
Charles Krauthammer
The American physician was born on 13 March, 1950
