By William Muchiri
Worth Noting:
- A year after the party was registered, Moi appointed Leakey as the Director of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), a position he served for about an year after which the then Head of State headhunted him, appointing him the new Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Civil Service. He served for two years, after which the President disbanded his team which was popularly known as Dream Team.
- Safina party had its first Presidential candidate during the 2013 General Election, where Muite was the candidate with former Rangwe MP Dr Shem Ochuodho being his running mate. They garnered slightly over 12,000 votes.
The country embraced the multiparty system of democracy after intense activism and bloodshed that was characterised by detention without trial, disappearances without trace and unexplained death.
Dozens of Kenyans sacrificed their health, property and their liberty for the country to reach where it is today.
Such leaders include Safina party leader and former Kabete Member of Parliament Paul Kibugi Muite and Palaeontologist and conservationist Dr Richard Leakey.
These two gentlemen had a consultative meeting sometimes at the beginning of the month of May in 1995 where the idea on formation of a new political party was born.
A few days after the meeting and floating of the thoughts on formation of a new party, on May 13, 1995, Muite and Leakey applied to have Safina party registered as one of the political parties in the country.
However, it was not until after waiting for more than two and half years that the Kanu administration officially registered the party.
And with that, on November 26, just about a month to the second multiparty General Election, Safina was officially recognised as a political party.
Pundits then averred that President Moi yielded to pressure to register Safina due to, among other reasons, accusation of widespread corruption in his administration which had led international donor institutions to freeze their aid to the country.
The party was founded with the primary aim of combating corruption, human rights abuse and to introduce an electoral system of proportional representation.
The party whose name is Kiswahili language for “Noah’s Ark” slogan has been ‘All Kenyans Deserve A Chance’ was founded on three main ideologies.
These are ‘Social Liberalism’, ‘Social Democracy’ and ‘Civic Nationalism’.
Other notable politicians who were founders of the party included Farah Maalim, Mwandawiro Mganga and Koigi Wamwere.
A year after the party was registered, Moi appointed Leakey as the Director of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), a position he served for about an year after which the then Head of State headhunted him, appointing him the new Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Civil Service. He served for two years, after which the President disbanded his team which was popularly known as Dream Team.
Safina party had its first Presidential candidate during the 2013 General Election, where Muite was the candidate with former Rangwe MP Dr Shem Ochuodho being his running mate. They garnered slightly over 12,000 votes.
Since its formation, Safina just like its name has been the ‘rescue’ political party for aggrieved politicians. Those who are not contented with running of their political parties have always found refuge in this party.
It is a party that warmly welcomes Kenyans who have divergent views from others. It has for years been the party that firmly holds the political ‘centre bolt’ together.
Apart from Muite, among those who have in the past joined the party and went on to be elected are current Nyeri Senator Eng. Ephraim Maina Kirinyaga who was elected Mathira Member of Parliament in 2007, beating first Governor of Nyeri County, the late Nderitu Gachagua and Kabando wa Kabando who won the Mukurwe-ini parliamentary seat in 2007, defeating current Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe. The duo won their seats against the Party of National Unity (PNU) euphoria in the region, more so in Nyeri County, where President Mwai Kibaki was defending his presidential and Othaya parliamentary seat.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that both Kirinyaga and Kabando might be seeking the Nyeri gubernatorial and senatorial seats respectively under the sponsorship of Safina party.
Others who have entered the August House courtesy of Safina party are Njoroge Baiya in Githunguri constituency, Kiambu County, Lenny Kivuti in Siakago, Embu County and Abdikadir Hussein Mohamed in Mandela Central, Mandela County.
It is for this reason that businessman Jimmy Wanjigi easily found refuge in it after differing with leaders in Orange Democratic Party (ODM).
Wanjigi moved to Safina party after a bitter fall out in the ODM which kicked him out after vowing to challenge Raila for the position of party’s Presidential candidate.
Muite warmly welcomed him, and the culmination of all that is today’s National Delegates Conference, where thousands of party members will be endorsing him as its presidential flag bearer for the August 9th General Election.
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Dennis Dibondo