Bipartisan Talks: Submissions That Seek to Change Distribution of Political Parties Fund
Monday, the National Dialogue Committee for bipartisan discussions received proposals to alter the structure and distribution of political party funds.
In its submissions, the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) advocated for a restructuring of the financing formulae for political parties, in which the proportion of funds allocated to each party based on its share of the vote would be reduced from 70 percent to 60 percent.
‘’We believe that if this is done, then we will give life to multi-party democracy in this country,” stated a representative from the liaison committee.
If adopted, the UDA and ODM parties will be hardest affected, as they received the largest windfall in the most recent allocation.
The UDA Party received Ksh577.2 million, the ODM Party Ksh308.3 million, and Jubilee Ksh135.1 million from the Ksh1.48 billion pot.
However, the proposal presented to the committee suggested that only 60% of the funds be allocated to parties based on the number of votes they received in the previous election.
ALSO READ: Kalonzo: Ruto, Raila talks not meant to ‘manage us’
The parties will receive 10 percent of the fund proportional to the number of seats won in the election.
Another 10% is to be allocated to the parties according to the number of Special Interest Group Seats by the respective political parties.
According to the proposal, 15 percent of the fund will be distributed proportionally among the political parties that participated in the previous election, while the remainder will be used by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties for administrative costs.
In addition, the committee proposed an amendment to a constitutional act that authorizes the office of the registrar to administrate funds for the Liaison Committee.
It is now requesting that the fund come directly from the Treasury, as it will become an independent body.
The ongoing negotiations between the government’s Kenya Kwanza and the opposition’s Azimio at the Bomas of Kenya are receiving input from various societies, organizations, and political parties.
Bipartisan Talks: Submissions That Seek to Change Distribution of Political Parties Fund