The opposition coalition has backtracked and shelved plans to register Cord as a political party.
In September, Cord management committee co-chairs James Orengo and Johnson Muthama said the coalition would register as a single “corporate” Cord Party.
“We had reserved the name Cord with the Registrar of Political Parties. Plans are almost complete. We will use the ticket to field joint candidates in all elective positions countrywide,” Orengo told a press conference at Parliament Buildings then.
Under the arrangement, affiliates parties would field candidates on their tickets in some areas and under Cord tickets in others.
ODM, Wiper, Ford Kenya and 10 other affiliated parties were to retain their identities.
The umbrella strategy aimed to improve opposition chances of victory next year against the massive Jubilee Party machine — recently formed by the merger of affiliates.
JP was officially launched on September 10, as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reelection outfit.
But yesterday, Cord deputy minority leader Jakoyo Midiwo termed as “street talk” the push to register Cord as a corporate party.
“That is street talk and imagination. The central management committeehas never had that idea,” the Gem MP told the Star in an interview.
Midiwo said Cord’s strategy was to strengthen affiliate parties.
“We have no such idea at all, that is the creation of Kikuyu-Kalenjin imagination,” he said.
It is understood that competing interests among the affiliate parties have scuttled the process, which was meant to strengthen Cord, keep it together and allay fears of widening cracks within the coalition.
The three parties are said to be keen on fielding candidates for various elective positions.
In September, Orengo called Cord a unique coalition that has been able to weather pre-election and post-election turbulence to pursue a joint manifesto and election strategy.
-the-star.co.ke
