Surge in independents a wake-up call for parties to listen to the people

The independent candidates are, by every definition now, the third force, not for anything else but for their sheer numbers that have shocked the country.

By close of business on Friday, the Registrar of Political Parties had received more than 4,000 applications from aspirants who want to run as independents in the August 8 elections.

“Between Tuesday and Thursday this week, we received more than 2,000 applications. If you add that to the applications we had received earlier, the number comes to over 4,000 compared to about 350 in 2013,” the Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u told the Nation.

She added: “We didn’t expect that. I believe Kenyans are seeing the benefit of contesting as an independent. The number of applications is scaring and most of them are at the ward level.”

MIGUNA MIGUNA

While some like former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s aide Miguna Miguna and MP John Serut had long before the party primaries indicated that they would contest as independent candidates for the Nairobi governorship and Mt Elgon parliamentary seats respectively, the current wave of applicants has been precipitated by the real and perceived unfair treatment by political parties.

READ: Court ruins politicians' hopes of changing parties

“The legal provision for independent candidates gives room to people who feel that the parties are not listening to them,” said Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo who has decided to defend his seat as an independent candidate. He lost the ODM nomination to Elisha Odhiambo said.

He said: “I am convinced the leadership of ODM is uncomfortable with me for calling a spade a spade.”

Mr Midiwo’s assertions are no different from those of former Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi who was vying on a Jubilee Party ticket to dislodge Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu.

GROSSLY FLAWED NOMINATIONS

The former PS had described the Jubilee nominations as “chaotic and grossly flawed”.

Similarly, Kitui Senator David Musila has blamed Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka for his loss to Governor Julius Malombe in the contest for the county’s gubernatorial seat in the forthcoming elections.

“The party leader ordered results that were compiled by my opponent to be announced at Kitui tallying centre without reference to the National Elections Board officials who fled Kitui town due to insecurity,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that the winner has been declared the loser against all democratic principles,” Senator Musila said.

Other big names who have resigned from their parties to run as independent candidates are businessman Bundotich Kiprop Buzeki who will be facing the man to whom he lost the Jubilee ticket Governor Jackson Mandago, former minister Ochillo Ayacko in Migori, Busia MP Paul Otuoma, 2013 presidential candidate Peter Kenneth, woman representative Florence Aluodo in Siaya County and Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo who was also eyeing the ODM ticket to run for Siaya governor.

GET CLEARENCE

Though Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu, who lost the ODM nomination to National Assembly Minority Whip Thomas Mwadeghu, has not applied to contest as an independent, he says that he is not at all shocked by the number of people who have been lining up outside the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties to get clearance to vie as independent candidates.

“There has been unfair treatment by the parties,” he said, adding that his decision not to resign from ODM is because he is pushing his grievances through the party’s appeals tribunal.

“I hope they will rule in my favour,” said Governor Mruttu.

Alego Usonga MP Omondi Muluan said there was voter apathy in party strongholds due to failure to respect the people’s choices in the primaries.

“I am very happy that people are applying in droves to contest as independents. Party dictatorship is what causes corruption and the wave of independent candidates is the beginning of the fight against impunity,” he said.

CONCEPT ABUSE

Lawyer Nzamba Kitonga, who chaired the Committee of Experts (CoE) that came up with the 2010 Constitution, says that their reasoning to give room for Kenyans to run in an election as independent candidates was informed by two key parameters.

Firstly, Mr Kitonga said, CoE took into account that there are some candidates who may not share ideologies of existing political parties and also are not interested in forming their own parties.

“We cannot close the door for such people,” said Mr Kitonga.

Secondly, he said, CoE was also cognisant of the fact that parties may oppress some members contrary to the public’s views and interests.

“But the idea was not that if you lose in the primaries then you go independent. That is an abuse of the concept of independence. Being a loser does not make independent in my view and if there was time someone can actually go to court for a determination,” the lawyer said.

LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE

The swelling number of independent candidates has meanwhile not escaped the attention of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).

According to LSK president Isaac Okero, the thousands of people who are applying to contest as independents should be a wake-up call to political parties to listen to the people.

“Given the numbers, it is sensible to anticipate that we will end up with more independents in the legislative assemblies. This will not just be at the national but will also be replicated at the wards,” he said.

In the current Parliament, there are four independent MPs, namely Wesley Korir (Cherangany), Dr Patrick Musimba (Kibwezi West), Gatobu Kinoti (Buuri) and Mr Serut.

The downside of running as an independent, Mr Okero said, unlike the party sponsored candidates, is that the independents will miss the established structures that the political parties offer.

FROWN AT DEFECTORS
“They are independent and able to strategise without being held back by party structures,” he said.

But city lawyer Donald Kipkorir, in a Facebook post on May 4, described independents as “enemies of Kenya.”

“We should frown at defectors and the so-called independents. Without being loyal to parties and ideology, we can’t be loyal to anything. You can’t join a party and be given life membership then switch. Independents are nothing but opportunists,” he said.

Mr Kipkorir’s views do not sit well with Ms Ndung’u.

“Those are strong words. The law is clear and that is what enabled some 350 to apply in 2013,” said Ms Ndung’u.