We have complied with all regulations, Governor Kingi's party says
Officials of Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi's Pamoja African Alliance (Paa) registering new members in Mombasa.
Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) has said that it has complied with procedural requirements for registration and is confident of fielding candidates in the next year’s General Election.
The Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi’s party has said that it has submitted all the documents to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and is now awaiting its response.
PAA communications director Joe Kiragu told the Nation.Africa that the party has complied with all the procedural requirements.
“On our end everything is done. We anticipate getting the ORPP’s response anytime,” he said.
Mr Kiragu said these documents were submitted to the ORPP this month and that they are optimistic of a positive response.
He added that PAA has also submitted its party nominations rules to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
According to Mr Kiragu, the documents were presented to the electoral body last week.
“We have submitted everything. What is remaining is just a formality before we are issued with the certificate,” he said, adding that the party has complied with the provisional requirements and that is why it was allowed to submit its documents.
“We have complied with everything for both IEB and ORPP,” he said.
PAA is among 19 political parties that have not been fully registered by the RPP.
Political parties with temporary registration were last week not allowed to submit party nomination rules, meaning such parties cannot field candidates for any elective post.
The deadline for the submission of the party nomination rules elapsed on October 18. The fate of these 19 political parties that are yet to submit their nomination rules is now in the hands of the IEBC.
PAA was issued with temporary registration on July 21 and had 180 days from the date of provisional registration to apply to the Registrar for full registration.
The law states that a political party that has been provisionally registered shall not be entitled to participate in an election.
But PAA has exuded confidence of obtaining a full registration to enable it to participate in the next year’s polls.
Governor Kingi, who is serving his second term formed the party to bargain for political power for Coast political kingpins.
The party has received support from a section of politicians within the region while others are opposed to its formation.
Those supporting the party such as Magarini MP Michael Kingi say the outfit will create unity and champion for the interest of the Coast people.
However, a section of politicians opposed to the party argues that the outfit does not in any way represent the interest of the region’s populace but is a personal vehicle to keep Mr Kingi relevant after leaving office in 2022.
The party has also been seen as a threat to Mr Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which has enjoyed support from the region and the newly formed United Democratic Alliance (UDA) allied to Deputy President William Ruto. The DP has toured Coast severally to popularize the party as he attempts to compete for votes with ODM.
Mr Kingi is banking on his new party to negotiate with other major parties ahead of the next year’s polls.
His aspiration to form a regional political vehicle will however receive a major setback should the RPP rejects application for the registration of PAA.
