POLITICAL PARTIES AND ETHNICITY ARE SYNONYMOUS IN KENYA'S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE.

A political party by definition is an association formally organized with the explicit and a declared purpose of acquiring and/or maintaining political power. In Kenya , in the registrar of political parties , we have more than 300 registered Political parties. Majority of them are not known by anybody apart from their owners. Underline the word "owners" because , they say in Kenya , Political parties have owners. They are operated like business enterprises. They have been commercialized. The ate avenues where , millions of shillings are raked and owners become super rich. 

American political sociologist Joseph Schumpeter pointed out that , political parties can acquire political power either singly or in a coalition with other political parties. This was evident fir the first time in Kenya's political history back in 2002. That time , opposition parties learned the mistakes they had made both in 1992 and 1997 general elections. They splitted their much needed votes which they would have put in one basket and send the KANU regime home. Instead , their lack of common unity inorder to dislodge President Moi in power costed them big. In 2002 , the opposition parties shelved their ego and ambitions and formed a coalition political party called National Rainbow Coalition ( NARC). 20 years later , we have Azimio la Umoja one Kenya Alliance coalition party. Will history repeat itself? Very likely.

Political parties in Kenya are ethnically based. The centrality of our Kenya's politics especially after the advent of pluralism in 1991 has been ethnicity. They lack a bonding political ideology. That doesn't exist in Kenya. It only exists in liberal democracies and not Africa's democracies which even the polity and their political elites don't know what it is. In Africa , the only political parties that strongly shows character traits of being referred to as political parties are Chama Cha Mapinduzi ( CCM) , Zimbabwe Africa National Unity Patriotic Front ( ZANU- PF) of Zimbabwe and African National Congress ( ANC) of South Africa. This are political parties with strong political culture , socialization and structures. They aren't owned by individuals. They have stood a test of time but still going strong. Where is KANU today , the independent party is just a pale shadow of its former self. 

Each ethnic nation in Kenya is associated with a political party. The yardstick is political mobilization based on ethnic majority not ideologies. If you mention ODM , Wiper , UDA , ANC , Ford Kenya , Jubilee Party etc , you will definitely know the region that political party is drawn from. It will take decades for this Country to break from they yoke. That , out political parties will be based on ideologies and robust manifestos rather than ethnic mentality. For example , an aspirant vying for a political seat using Orange Democratic Party ( ODM) will be categorized as a social and political misfit. He/she will be alienated by their relatives , friends , villages mates and to some extent , their ancestors. Reason , just because the party is associated with Luos and more specifically Raila Odinga. Sad!!! So , no one can listen to the aspirants manifesto at all. The focus and judgement will be based on the political party he/she is using to vie for that particular seat.

This tribal mentality is that which forms the bases of which political party will be formed and how recruitment will be done. So far , wanjiku ( residents) of Mt Kenya region are made to believe that , Jubilee Party , which is associated with President Uhuru Kenyatta isn't a Mt Kenya region political party anymore. That is the charm offense the rival party UDA is using to make in roads in the region. It's proponents must use an ethnic matrix to woo the residents. Ethnic balkanization must be in place . Without doing so , that political party is damn dead. Zero ideology but only populistic statements that are aimed at whipping the emotions of the gullible voter.

Our political culture and Socialization is very immature. I fact , it is still in diapers. It will take time to shape and clean it. Politicians like dealing with gullible polity who doesn't know what they want. Once the owners of this political parties whip her ethnically , she loses focus. They don't interrogate issues as long as tribal kingpins have spoken. As we approach the August 9th Elections , ethnic balkanization will be heightened to monumental levels. Presidential candidates manifestos will create very little impact. So far , the leading presidential aspirants are keeping the regions they have more votes close to their chests. Mt Kenya region has attracted that attention for both Raila Odinga and William Ruto. That's the undisputed fact. For Ruto to continue stamping authority in this region , he must whip the voters using tribal sentiments. Reinvigorate the ethnic contempt Kikuyus have harboured towards Luos since independence. He can't focus on whst he will do for the region interms of development projects and safe guarding their Economic interests. He will concentrate in selling the ethnic card. 

As I conclude , let make the 2022 general elections to be similar to that of 2002. Let's go to the ballot with utmost sobriety. Let's scrutinize this presidential aspirants in detail. If we allow tribal mentality to clog our brains , we will lose the plot. We will put a guillotine on our necks. Let's be focused.