FORD-K headed for collapse, Wetang’ula under siege

The 35-year-old Forum for the Restoration of Democracy in Kenya (FORD-K), a once vibrant party founded by some of Kenya’s refined intellectual titans is clutching on straws with only 16 months to the next General-Election.

Reports indicate that the situation is so severe within the party largely associated with the fight for, and advent of, multi-partyism in Kenya that it is only a matter of time before the outfit eventually blows up.

FORD-K is currently embroiled in fierce internal wrangles that mostly gravitate around the stewardship of its leader in the person National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.

However, in what would appear like a strategy to divert public attention from the woes afflicting the party, Wetangula on Wednesday led a delegation of Members of Parliament from Bungoma county to the office of Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi for lengthy discussions on matters relating to supply of electricity.

The visit came on the backdrop of a series of resignations by senior officials from the party citing frustrations from the top leadership.

In November last year, Ford Kenya was humiliated in a by-election held Wetangula”s own Kabuchai ward where the party lost resoundingly to an independent candidate backed local MP Majimbo Kalasinga, a former personal assistant to the Speaker but with whom they have politically since parted ways.

Most of the persons who have exited the party this month have joined the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of President William Ruto.

First to leave the party was its former secretary -general Dr. Chris Wamalwa who has announced his intention to run for the Trans-Nzoia county governorship against incumbent George Natembeya.

Wamalwa made the announcement during a meeting between Ruto and UDA aspirants at State House on March 4.

Towards the end of last year, Wamalwa who is also the immediate former MP for Kiminini was violently assaulted while in the company of friends by a group of goons armed with crude weapons while at the prestigious Kitale Club in Trans-Nzoia county where they accused him of being disrespectful to the party leader, Wetangula.

Clips of Wamalwa’s rough-up by the goons went viral on social media platforms.
When announcing his departure from Ford Kenya, Wamalwa stated that his move had been precipitated by “the need to align with a progressive political movement that prioritises inclusivity and development” and faulted the party’s leadership of failing to inspire confidence and frowning at consultations and team-work.
“Unfortunately, that space no longer exists,” Wamalwa stated.

Also exiting was Deputy Secretary General Elizabeth Iminza, National Executive Committee member) and Youth League President Chekai Musa, Deputy National Secretary for Trade Almas Hadad, Deputy National Organising Secretary David Burare, First Deputy National Treasurer Joyce Cheruto, National Vice Chair and former Trans Nzoia Senator Henry Ole Ndiema, Secretary for Technology and Research Ismael Arale, Water, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Jane Nampaso,Trans Nzoia Branch Secretary Joseph Pepela and Secretary for Sports, Gender and Culture Luke Opwora.

The Exodus leaves Wetangula massively exposed, considering that he is now only left with Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka and Members of Parliament from the county.
It was, however, noticeable that Lusaka was not among the leaders who accompanied the Speaker in delegation that met Wandayi on Wednesday.

Wetangula’s continued stewardship of Ford Kenya has been a matter of unending controversy, with some top national leaders demanding that he religuishes the post to guarantee his neutrality when presiding over affairs of the August House which is composed of many lawmakers from different political parties.

Wetangula also refused to cave in to President William Ruto’s request for him to collapse his party so as to merge it with his UDA in the same fashion that Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi did with his Amani National Congress (ANC) early last year.

Most of the Ford Kenya legisltors and senior officials are understood to have been in favour of the merger proposal but Wetangua and Lusaka who is also the Deputy Party Leader are reported to have flatly rejected the suggestion, arguing that the party would be swallowed and its members lose identity completely in the same manner that the New Ford Kenya party then headed by former Saboti MP and Lusaka did when they teamed up with Jubilee Party in 2017.

Ford Kenya was established in August 1992 as one of the two offshoots of the original FORD founded a year earlier by six prominent national politicians.

However, following incessant disputes surrounding the mode of picking its presidential candidate, the party split into Ford Kenya led Kenya’s first Vice-president, the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Ford-Asili spearheaded former Kiharu MP and Cabinet Minister Kenneth Njindo Matiba.

The Jaramogi faction took with it the majority of FORD’s intellectual minds, among them former Vice-President Michael Kijana Wamalwa, current Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang Nyong’o, his Siaya counterpart James Aggrey Orengo, former Trade Minister Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, former Kisauni MP Prof. Rashid Mzee, Senior Counsel Paul Muite, former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi and lawyer Gitobu Imanyara.

Muite, who was the Ford Kenya First Vice-chairman resigned from that position and was later to stage a walkout from the partyto form an outfit known as Safina following reports of corruption in which controversial businessman Kamlesh Pattni was said to have given some Ksh 2 million to the party’s top leadership for alleged political protection.

Jaramogi died in January 1994 and was succeeded by Michael Wamalwa who had assumed the position of First Vice-chairman after Muite’s resignation.

The party was later to split further when the then Lang’ata MP and Jaramogi’s son, the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga quit the outfit when he lost to Wamalwa the contest for its chairmanship to Wamalwa at a highly-charged exercise in Thika Town.

Raila resigned and formed the National Development Party (NDP) through which he vied in the subsequent Lang’ata constituency by-election and won.

Wamalwa remained the chairman of Ford Kenya until his death in September 2003 when he was serving as Vice-President to newly-elected Head of State Mwai Kibaki.

Upon Wamalwa’s demise, former Webuye MP Musikari Nazi Kombo took over Ford Kenya’s leadership, a position he held for eight years until he was ousted by Wetangula in 2012.

Wetangula’s stewardship of the party is becoming dicey each coming day.