Parliament should regulate the minimum and maximum number of political parties to help build them into proper public institutions that cannot be created and destroyed at will. Political parties must have sustained national presence and continuity if they are to serve the public interest effectively.
To prevent political parties from being bought sold or used merely as tools of trade they must be treated and supported as public enterprises. This requires clear regulation consistent oversight and sustained engagement with citizens.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties ORPP should continuously familiarise Kenyans with registered political parties their leadership and their constitutions. Kenyans still vividly remember and identify with post independence political parties and the early multiparty vehicles precisely because they had sustained visibility ideology and national reach.
By limiting the number of political parties active citizens can meaningfully join strengthen institutions remove ineffective leadership and align their political ideologies more clearly. An overcrowded political party space weakens democracy by fragmenting participation and encouraging personality driven outfits.
There should also be limits on holding political party offices. No one should be a party leader for life except in terms of ordinary membership. Political parties must constantly refresh themselves by infusing new leadership ideas and energy. Continuous renewal is essential for relevance and growth.
Political party funding should be more democratic. It should not be based solely on votes obtained during elections but also on participation. Parties must actively serve as agents of public participation in law making and civic engagement. The ORPP must monitor and ensure that parties play a meaningful role in indirect governance. This approach would eliminate briefcase and dormant parties that exist only on paper.
If the law prescribed a minimum of two and a maximum of fifty political parties every Kenyan would still have sufficient space to find ideological alignment. Such regulation would strengthen party democracy eliminate the one man syndrome in governance institutions and prevent a future where there is one political party for every two hundred and fifty thousand registered voters.
Strong democracy requires strong institutions not endless vehicles for personal ambition.
