Green Congress Party protests unfair treatment by 'bigger' parties in Azimio
Green Congress Party of Kenya leader Martin Ogindo (centre) flanked by chairman Hillary Alila (second right) and other party members address the media during the unveiling of the GCK National Executive Council officials in Nairobi on March 19, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The Green Congress Party of Kenya is one of the nearly 30 political parties that form the Azimio coalition.
- The party's sentiments are echoed by other political parties that have been given the tag of 'smaller' parties within the coalition.
The Green Congress Party of Kenya has joined the chorus calling out the bigger parties within the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance for disrespecting and treating with contempt the so-called small parties within the coalition.
The party has called out ODM, Jubilee Party and Wiper Party for treating the other coalition partners as though they are lesser or count for nothing in Mr Raila Odinga's quest for the presidency.
The party chairman, Hillary Alila, has accused the three parties for treating their coalition partners as "though they were children of a lesser God.”
"We are in Azimio because we believe in the collective philosophy that Mr Odinga is the best Kenyan to become our fifth president of the Republic of Kenya. But the likes of ODM and Jubilee are behaving as if we are not partners in the coalition," said Mr Alila.
"We want to tell them that, just like everyone else, the parties they are calling small are also traversing the country campaigning for Mr Odinga."
Mr Alila spoke on Thursday when he handed over nomination certificates to dozens of aspirants seeking the party’s ticket for various positions across the country in the August 9, 20022 General Election.
GCK is one of the nearly 30 political parties that form the Azimio coalition. The party's sentiments are echoed by many other political parties that have been given the tag of 'smaller' parties within the coalition.
In particular, Mr Alila chastised ODM for mistreating their political partners on the account of 'owning the Azimio presidential candidate.
"Mr Odinga is the 'party leader of ODM, and everyone respects that, but there needs to be a measure of both respect and appreciation that all of us have a stake in this coalition political party by right.
"The way ODM are behaving is not right and we are here to tell them that Mr Odinga is our presidential candidate as he is for the majority of Kenyans."
The party's sentiments come amidst growing disquiet among the Azimio constituent parties, with a section of them accusing others of feeling more entitled than others.
Mr Odinga, whose candidature will be his fifth attempt at the presidency, has the backing of outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The ODM leader has remained silent amidst the growing restlessness of the so-called smaller parties in Azimio.
Mr Odinga, who cut short his trip to the USA to attend former president Mwai Kibaki's funeral, may soon have to ease the growing tension within Azimio by addressing the concerns of his coalition partners.
Gender requirement
Meanwhile, GCK party leader Martin Ogindo has said the party will do everything to ensure it complies with the two-thirds gender requirement in their nomination lists as directed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
IEBC, in a letter to political parties, has warned that political parties which fail to meet the gender parity requirement will be disqualified from fielding candidates in the August 9 poll.
"We are aware of the directive from IEBC and as a party we are working to ensure that not more than two thirds of our nominees for various seats are of the same gender," said Dr Ogindo, who is eyeing Rangwe parliamentary seat.
"The party leadership and secretariat is already working on this and GCK will be compliant with the constitution and all other applicable laws of the land."
According to IEBC boss, Wafula Chebukati, political parties that fail to comply with the gender parity rule will be served a notice to adjust their lists.
"The Commission will provide the political party an opportunity to revise the list and re-submit the revised list to the Commission within 48 hours of receipt of communication from the Commission. A revised list that does not comply with the two-thirds gender principle, will be rejected in its totality and all candidates on the list cannot stand for election on August 9th 2022," Chebukati said.
