There is much hullabaloo over Jubilee Party’s official launch on Saturday with people from all political sides chipping in their opinions.
The biggest issue has been where the party got the money to run this extravagant show. Allegations include that the much publicised Eurobond scandal could have been a source of this money.
While in Kenya anything is possible in politics, the other side that is not being told is that political parties in Kenya have taxpayers’ funding through the Political Parties Fund.
In 2013, the Fund allocated ODM and TNA, by virtue of their numbers, Sh5 billion each. This money, despite coming from the taxpayer is not accounted for beyond the allocations to the parties.
While it is prudent to keep revamping parties and pushing the margins, Jubilee’s mega launch on Saturday, which is costing Sh300 million, is one theatrical move that will push politics in the country over the limit.
‘Poor’ citizens who may want to vie independently may not have the muscle and so they will have to join the movements - Cord or Jubilee - or be left in the dregs.
This aside, the funding issue is a constant thorn in the flesh as Kenyans are now questioning the morality of spending such obscene amounts of money on a political party launch while millions cannot still access basic needs.
We have fundraisers left, right and centre for causes like medical and education among others but it seems that expensive sponsors are making life easy for politicians to raise cash for campaigns. What with the ODM's Sh6,000-a-plate dinner and well-wishers donating millions to the Jubilee Coalition?
The National Alliance (TNA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) were to get Sh5 billion each from the treasury by the next election. We are already in that election period and so the money must have been released from the coffers.
With the billions raising these outfits to heights not reached before, there is bound to be a showdown.
The Jubilee Party headquarters, massive publicity campaigns and the spending to popularise the party could have been made possible through your taxes.
It is a massive financial war chest which is setting the stage for an epic showdown between ODM and Jubilee.
Already, Cord leader Raila Odinga is expected to make a statement on Saturday, probably to try and counter Jubilee’s hype. If ODM has been prudent with its kitty, then the flashy campaigns Jubilee is engaging in may have to force them to dig deeper into their pockets, send political spending spiralling and make Kenyans suffer from hyperinflation.
So far, Cord has not shown any extravagant spending and with Saturday just a day away, Kenyans should expect a bare-knuckled battle as the two coalitions work to impress Kenyans to vote for them in 333 days.