Kenyan opposition party formalizes bid for recognition
ODM-Kenya to be major contender against Kibaki’s Narc in 2007

By Samuel Maina

NAIROBI, Kenya- Battle lines for the 2007 general elections in Kenya appeared set this week when the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) transformed itself into a viable political party.
The ODM is now the ODM-Kenya party (ODM-K), and declared that it will field a single candidate against president Mwai Kibaki in next year’s polls.
The party, which applied for registration to the Registrar of Societies this week, got a major boost when Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta declared that he is a part of the new outfit.
After months of dismissing the ODM as lacking in legal and political structures, Kenyatta joins the movement that defeated the government in last year’s referendum vote
ODM-K said that it was in the meantime working on the internal structure that will provide it with leadership ahead of the polls, besides writing its own constitution, which will exclude its top five presidential aspirants from holding top party positions.
The coming together of Kanu and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under one umbrella seemed to be the worst nightmare for Kibaki, who will be defending his seat on the Narc Kenya ticket, a party formed last May by supporters after the collapse of the previous Narc coalition.
ODM-K’s cohesion, and its inclusion of heavyweights Raila Odinga, Kenyatta, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and William Ruto, solidifies the two dominant players in the upcoming polls.
Other parties Ford Kenya and Ford People have yet to declare whether or not they will join either of the two coalitions, and risk being peripheral players if they go to the polls on their own.
Already Ford-K boss Musikhari Kombo is facing internal revolt with key and senior members, including two ministers who are demanding that he quits his position for failing to offer leadership.
Ford-K has adopted a middle line position, confusing its supporters who know very well that it was unlikely to win outside its strongholds of western Kenya.
Similar sentiments are being expressed in Ford-P, where chairman Simeon Nyachae is being told to declare which side of the political divide he is on.
Ford-P is expected to ally itself to Narc K and to stake high positions should the Kibaki party win next year.
ODM-K, though a formidable force, has yet to devise a way of getting past its main hurdle of picking a presidential contender, with its heavyweights only saying that they will support the party’s flag bearer after conducting primaries.
But the party is divided over whether to use the delegate/proxy system of nominating a contender or conducting grassroots primaries.
The opposition party is also pushing for minimum political reforms ahead of the polls, aiming to create positions of prime minister with two deputies and a vice president in order to accommodate all its big names.

Already Ford-K boss Musikhari Kombo is facing internal revolt with key and senior members, including two ministers who are demanding that he quits his position for failing to offer leadership.
Ford-K has adopted a middle line position, confusing its supporters who know very well that it was unlikely to win outside its strongholds of western Kenya.
Similar sentiments are being expressed in Ford-P, where chairman Simeon Nyachae is being told to declare which side of the political divide he is on.
Ford-P is expected to ally itself to Narc K and to stake high positions should the Kibaki party win next year.
ODM-K, though a formidable force, has yet to devise a way of getting past its main hurdle of picking a presidential contender, with its heavyweights only saying that they will support the party’s flag bearer after conducting primaries.
But the party is divided over whether to use the delegate/proxy system of nominating a contender or conducting grassroots primaries.
The opposition party is also pushing for minimum political reforms ahead of the polls, aiming to create positions of prime minister with two deputies and a vice president in order to accommodate all its big names.