MPs rally to oppose slashing of parties' fund

Major political parties in the country have opposed the proposal by the government to slash the political parties fund saying it is a recipe for killing multiparty democracy.

The concerns by the ANC, ODM, Wiper and Federal Party of Kenya (FPK) come as the government pushes to reduce the kitty according to the proposed Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill, 2020, currently in the National Assembly.

The Omnibus Bill, which seeks to amend 30 legislation including the Political Parties Act that administers the parties’ fund, proposes that such fund, not being less than 0.3 percent of the national government shareable revenues net of mandatory and non-discretionary expenditures of the national government shall be allocated.

Currently, the law provides that funds not being less than 0.3 percent of the revenue collected by the national government as may be provided by Parliament shall be allocated to the kitty.

Of the amount allocated to the parties, five percent goes to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties for the running of the office, which manages the kitty.

Tuesday, ODM, ANC, Wiper and FPK said they will rally their troops in the National Assembly to shoot down the proposal.

“Budgeting should be a progressive affair. You cannot say that you want to reduce what is being allocated to the parties yet you have not been adhering to the law to ensure that parties get what is due for them,” ODM chairman John Mbadi (Suba South), who is also the leader of minority in the National Assembly said.

The MPs are expected to consider the Bill when they resume sittings on Tuesday after a short recess.

In the current financial year about Sh1.4 billion has been allocated to the parties against the requirement of about Sh3.8 billion as per the latest audited accounts of the national government as passed by the National Assembly.

ANC Secretary-General Barrack Muluka noted that the government should not think of having the funds scaled down but ensure that parties use the allocated resources as provided for in the law.

“The cardinal rule of legislation world over is that it should strive to improve what is being legislated. What the government needs to do is to audit the fund to see where it has been going while expanding the bracket of the recipients,” Mr Muluka said.

“One of the drawbacks to political democracy is funding. We have communicated to our members in the House to do what is in the interest of the party democracy. That is our position,” he said.

Wiper Secretary-General Judith Sijeny noted that the Wiper party MPs in the National Assembly have been directed to oppose the proposal.

“What is currently allocated is not even enough to warrant a reduction. It is too little and it is akin to killing the political parties in the country,” Ms Sijeny said, noting that the criteria for the allocation of the funds should be reviewed.

“If you do not support the Registrar of Political Parties (RPP) through enhanced allocations, it means that you are killing political party democracy. We will not allow this to happen,” she said.

FPK Secretary-General Kennedy Okello noted that the fund should be increased and the sharing formula amended to include other parties.

“Our push is to have all the registered political parties have access to the fund,” Mr Okello noted.

The fund is distributed proportionately such that 95 percent is allocated in reference to the total number of votes secured by each political party in the preceding general election.

The computation of the votes is done by adding the total number of votes obtained for the President, MPs, county governors and members of county assemblies.

Five percent is for the administration expenses of the Fund. Since the law was amended to reflect the computed election votes, only ODM and Jubilee party have been receiving the fund since the 2017 general election.

After the 2013 general election, ODM, The National Alliance (TNA) and United Republican Party (URP) were the only beneficiaries.