Update on Our Party –EEP!

The update is that registration process is very much on course. Right now we have submitted our party constitution for review to the Registrar of Political Parties and are waiting to hear she will recommend any reviews.  Here is the link to EEP’s Constitution.

Interested Candidates

Once we are granted provisional registration, we shall have 6 months to prove that we can register members from across the country. In anticipation of this exercise and aware that existing political parties place major barriers to would-be political candidates, we are inviting those who wish to run on EEP’s ticket to start mobilizing members for registration. 

Those who are able to mobilize more than 1000 members in their respective counties will not be required to pay party sponsorship fees  during the 2017 elections. Ability to mobilize party members will be the only required consideration, though we shall abide with the requirements of the Political Party’s Act – 2011, which requires competitive processes be followed while nominating candidates.

Update on our Political Party

First – lots of thanks to the few people (just about 7 persons) who volunteered to support and steer the process of registering our political party. Many people feel that making an impact in Kenya’s political process can only be done by superheroes but really that is not the case. All we require is a dose of courage and commitment to a cause! 

We have submitted a list of names to the registrar of political parties – and we are waiting for a call any time now on the available name. Our bet is that we get “Equality Party of Kenya – EPK.” This name will be in tandem with our biggest campaign issue and policy contribution – i.e., the reform of electoral act in Kenya to allow for Proportional Representation through a Party List System. 

The current electoral system of 1^st by the post is responsible to endemic tribalism, corruption and nepotism/Clientelism. It also denies the country opportunity to have the best candidates serve our people in positions of leadership. Under the current electoral system it is next to impossible to have a Turkana, Pokot, Giriama or Ongiek lead this country regardless of how brilliant they may be.  

Our party will work to emphasize to Kenyans that in the current global political and economic situation, our country needs to shift focus competition among tribes to regional and international competition. It is a huge shame that while our tourism industry has virtually collapsed, Tanzania’s hotels are perpetually overbooked. It is a shame that while the Kenya Airways is virtually bankrupt – and may well go the Uchumi Supermarket way (afloat but perpetually sickly), Rwanda Air is taking up to the skies with stunning excellence and Kigali will in the coming few years overtake Nairobi as the regional hub.

To address the challenges we face in the new-Kenya we need to provide opportunity for each and every Kenyan – every single one of us to live up to the fullest of their potential. The ‘scarcity mentality’ has led us to believe that we need to elbow out people from other tribes or religion or gender from positions of service and it  needs to change. This will be brought about by an electoral system that assures equality for all. This is what our party stands for. 

There is a saying “success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.” Right now as we struggle to register our party, we are not getting much support. I need to say, we are serious in this engagement so please join us – Today! 

I may not even serve in any position in the party or political office, but one thing I know is that we all need to contribute to make our country better. I am doing my bit because I have the time and the energy (for now at least). Do not just stand by the side-lines (and continue to complain); take action today.  

Once we have received provisional registration – hopefully in the coming two weeks, we shall have 6 months to register a minimum of 24,000 members from at least 24 counties. We can do it with your support. If you would like to become one of the founder members – it is a very prestigious thing to do, write to us, on ‘allpeoplesparty@outlook.com.’ Take action today.

All-Issues (are important) Political Party

Since President Kenyatta said for his government some issues are non-issues, some Kenyans have been doing some thinking.  One group was asking which political party we can approach to have our issues recognized and addressed.  But the other asked: Why not form our own political party which addresses “All issues?”

That is why:

Recognizing that every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law; and equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and fundamental freedoms – we the people propose to form an ‘All Issues Political Party.’ Some of the names so far under consideration for this political party include

• All Issues Peoples Party - AIPP
• Wanjiku All Issues Party – WAIP
• Wanjiku Peoples Party – WPP
• Kenya All Issues Party – KAIP
• Kenya Everyone Matters Party – KEMP
• Wanjiku Tosha na Fanaka – WTF Party

Reading through the Political Parties Act, 2011, we realize the one major hurdle to registration is section 7 (2a) which requires that for a party to become fully registered (there is a 3 month provisional registration), it needs to it have recruited as members, not fewer than one thousand registered voters from more than half of the counties. 

And this is where your input comes in handy. We need recruiters from at least 25 counties. Can you help us recruit members from your county?  Please write to us at allpeoplesparty@outlook.com to become one of the founding members of our political party.

Let us talk to the faith leaders; They will listen - eventually...

In one of the listserv someone posted this message: ‘If I got HIV facts on anal sex and safe sex at 17, I would not have turned HIV+.’ It got me thinking - I do not know how it is like to be a teenager in today’s world, but one thing I know is we shall not get anywhere in our health and human rights struggle without talking to faith leaders – and in a language they understand or relate to. 

True the faith leaders too, have to “read the signs of the times” and speak in a language the people of today can understand or relate to. Indeed I came across this article that is urging faith leaders and their nemesis in America to do pretty much that. – Entitled Religious Liberty and the Culture Wars, the full article is available here... http://illinoislawreview.org/wp-content/ilr-content/articles/2014/3/Laycock.pdf

 

But someone has to take the first step – I think we can do that. We can translate our daily struggles into stories – perhaps even look for parallels in the books of scripture. For example, look at this guy in this video clip being beaten up – https://www.facebook.com/peter.bagaka/videos/10152786528396173/?pnref=story does it not resonate with a famous story in the Bible – and perhaps other Scriptures (Koran, Gitta etc)? 

It takes humility to wait for your turn to speak – and when the door is relentlessly banged against your face, it takes even greater humility and patience. But like that story in the Bible, Luke 11:5-13 where the fellow is repeatedly told “Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.....” 

This story might well be relevant to both the faith leaders, - that we will be relentless about asking for them to listen to our story – our perspective; but also to us – that if the faith leaders do not listen because our story is interesting or our perspective relevant, then it will be out of inconveniencing persistence.... (And an additional way to make our persistence inconveniencing is to use stories and language that is familiar to them).

For the sake of the teenagers growing up during these difficult times – many of whom may be related to us either directly or as they say, ‘families of choice’ let us do it!

Why Impeach Deputy President William Ruto.

The 2010 constitution is a game changer and there are many in power will do anything to undermine its implementation. One of the most remarkable provisions is to be found in article 1, which holds that - All sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya and shall be exercised only in accordance with this Constitution. In this country citizens do not exist at the pleasure of the government or those who hold power. In fact it is those in power who continue to be in government at the pleasure of the people of Kenya. 

The constitution has created opportunity for any Kenyan who strongly feels that a holder of public office should be relieved of that responsibility to seek for such to be done. In the case of Deputy President, this is what the constitution says: 150. (1) The Deputy President may be removed from office: (b) on impeachment- (i) on the ground of a gross violation of a provision of this Constitution or any other law;

We have reason to believe that the deputy president has severally violated provisions of the Kenya constitution, which holds in article 8 that: There shall be no State religion. The constitution also has the following provisions:

2. (1) This Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic and binds all persons and all State organs at both levels of government.

(2) No person may claim or exercise State authority except as authorised under this Constitution.

3. (1) every person has an obligation to respect, uphold and defend this Constitution.

We believe that the Deputy President repeatedly violates the constitution when he says that Kenya is “is a God fearing nation” and that Kenyan citizens who are gay should “look for other countries.” By calling for the stripping of citizenship of Kenyans who happen to be gay and want their constitutionally guaranteed rights respected, the Deputy President violates the provision of the constitution on citizenship which provides in article 13. (1) Every person who was a citizen immediately before the effective date retains the same citizenship status as of that date; and being gay or advocating for the basic human rights of people who are gay, is not one of the grounds for loss of citizenship.

We therefore call on all Kenyans of good will to join hands together and do the right thing - defend our constitution as obligated in article 3 (1);  and start impeachment proceedings against our beloved, but holy Deputy President William Ruto.