Political parties affiliated to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, January 13, demanded the release of money meant for their outfits.
Azimio La Umoja Coalition parties challenged President William Ruto to ensure that the money meant for political parties is duly disbursed.
The parties included Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Jubilee, Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), the United Democratic Forum Party (UDP), Narc-Kenya, Party of Growth and Prosperity (PGP), the United Party of Independent Alliance (Upia) and the Labour Party of Kenya (LPK).
"Political parties have not received the first, second and third quarter funding even after the political parties dispute tribunal directed on December 6 2022 the Registrar of Political Parties to release the first quarter funding covering the period July to September 2022," Kioni claimed.
Azimio's demands came against the backdrop of Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) dismissing an appeal by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), in which the president's party was contesting the formula used to allocate funds.
“During his recent interview, he alluded to the fact that money due to political parties had already been released.
"We as secretaries-general of the qualifying parties have had a meeting with the Registrar of Political Parties and she confirmed that in fact, Treasury has still not disbursed the money,” ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna noted.
Political parties under the Raila Odinga-led Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition took offence with a past statement, in which President Ruto claimed that the money had been released.
“So, when the President says that he expects a very robust opposition, he is lying to Kenyans because his actions are directed towards ensuring that they cripple political parties, especially the opposition political parties," he added.
The parties asked Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndungu to abide by Political Parties Act, which stipulates that 0.3 per cent of the money collected by the Treasury in a financial year should go towards party funding.
Azimio parties alleged that Treasury only fronted Ksh1.47 billion instead of Kshh6.09 billion as required by law.
“The delay and underfunding to political parties has greatly affected party institutionalisation and lowered the desired value-infusion, which in turn would ensure that the people of Kenya see political parties as necessary organisations in the democratisation process,” they said in their joint statement.
According to Sifuna, the last time political parties received funds was in June 2022, noting that the delay is stifling democracy.
