Kenya Socialist Web Site
HARAKATI ISSUE NO. 5 (August/September 1999)
CONSPIRACY AND POWER STRUGGLE IN NDP SCANDINAVIA
As the future of NDP-KANU co-operation enters into a period of stagnation,
NDP Scandinavia has been rocked by factional plots, conspiracy schemes and
a vicious power struggle that is threatening to tear the Scandinavian section
of the party apart. In Stockholm, the name of Mr. Jared Aroka, the Secretary
of NDP Support Group in Scandinavia, has become identical with a group of
NDP supporters seeking to dethrone Mr. Onyango Sumba, Representative of NDP
Scandinavia, from power. Recent underground political machinations
by Mr. Aroka together with his younger brother Ken Aroka, have revealed a
wider anti-Sumba plot that seem to be thickening with alarming speed.
The whole conspiracy came to light in early July with the discrete arrival
in Stockholm of Mr. Tom Ojanga (an NDP hawk in Switzerland who mainly bubbles
at Kenyaonline discussion group) and Mr. Gordon Oluoch (a low profile NDP
operative in Britain). According to Mr. Aroka, both Ojanga and Oluoch were
in Stockholm for a "private visit" that had nothing to do with NDP. On Friday
2nd July, a meeting was held at Mr. Aroka's residence with a major item on
the agenda said to have been the raising of funds for NDP in the run-up to
the 2002 Parliamentary and civic elections. Insider information reaching
HARAKATI indicate that the Aroka meeting resolved that NDP Scandinavia would
contact businessmen, private individuals, companies, political parties and
other sources for purposes of raising funds to finance the 2002 NDP election
campaigns and help Raila Odinga come to power in Kenya.
While this move appeared to have been progressive on the part of NDP scandinavia,
the discovery by HARAKATI that Mr. Sumba, had not been informed
or invited to the meeting gave the Aroka move a conspicuous conspiratorial
twist. As if that was not enough, Mr. Michael Sergon, the Kenyan Ambassador
to Scandinavia, Mr. Francis Mwongo (also from the Embassy), Mr. Ojanga, Mr.
Oluoch and Mr. Herbart Ojwang (nominated NDP Counsellor in South Nyanza)
later joined the anti-Sumba group in a "get together party" at the younger
Mr. Ken Aroka's residence apparently to celebrate.
When interviewed by HARAKATI, Mr. Sumba said that he had a primacy for privacy
and that people have a right to invite and entertain other people in their
houses. However, he added that if official NDP matters had come under formal
discussion without his knowledge during Mr. Ojanga's presence in Stockholm,
then it was a serious breach of party discipline and protocol. He said that
NDP had clear procedures and structures of dealing with party matters and
clarified that on the question of the Ojanga visit, he could not comment
on the basis of rumours. He said that he was unaware about any plots to undermine
him within the party, stressing that if such plots existed, then he condemns
them "with the contempt they deserve". As the NDP rep in Scandinavia,
Mr. Sumba said that the issue for NDP was how to push for constitutional
reforms that will allow for the creation of a coalition government in Kenya
and not cheap politics propagated by individuals in Stockholm.
The involvement of the Ambassador with notable NDP personalities seen to
be opposed to Mr. Sumba and without the knowledge of the NDP Rep, coupled
with the fact that issues about NDP are known to have come under heavy
discussion somehow gave the impression that the Ambassador may have been
acting in cahoots with the anti-Sumba forces in NDP Scandinavia.
Speaking to HARAKATI, Mr. Jared Aroka denied that both the July 2nd meeting
and the subsequent party at his brother's residence the following day had
anything to do with NDP. "If matters about NDP were going to come under discussion,
NDP headquarters in Nairobi could have been alerted while Mr. Sumba could
have been informed about the meeting well in advance", he said. Mr.
Aroka also said that the issue of raising funds for NDP never came under
discussion during the July 2nd meeting at his residence and took the position
that the alleged plot by him to undermine Mr. Sumba was a creation of gossipers
in Stockholm. "Any differences that may exist between me and Mr. Sumba is
speculation", he told HARAKATI.
As the Aroka group continues to remain under the political microscope
in Stockholm, and in the absence of concrete evidence about the real nature
of the July meetings, it is clear that Mr. Aroka has resorted to denials
as a defensive mechanism because of the serious political ramifications that
his latest sketches in Stockholm seem to entail.
If discussions about raising funds for NDP had featured in the July 2nd meeting
without the involvement of Mr. Sumba, admiting it (even in a remote way)
could have lent credence to the belief that a rift does exist between Mr.
Aroka and Mr. Sumba. It is unlikely that issues about fund-raising for NDP
could be discussed officially by party branches abroad without the knowledge
of NDP headquarters. If Aroka had publicly admitted that the discussions
did take place, it could also have implied that the Aroka group may have
had the blessing of Raila, an implication that could have raised fresh and
serious questions about latest power relations in NDP Scandinavia.
Further, by insisting that the party at Ken's residence that was also attended
by the Ambassador was a private affair that had nothing to do with NDP, Mr.
Aroka may have been trying to protect the embattled Ambassador from further
missiles from opposition activists in Stockholm. It is understood that the
Ambassador had been opposed to his presence at the party being made public.
When Mr. Sergon arrived in Sweden, it is Mr. Sumba who welcomed him in Stockholm
on behalf of NDP. The fact that the Ambassador attended a private party dominated
by a faction of NDP supporters and without the presence of Mr. Sumba has
been interpreted by observers to mean that the Ambassador may be shifting
political alignments for reasons that are still obscure. Attempts to reach
the Ambassador for comments were fruitless as he was reported be out of town.
Regardless of whether or not the meetings were private, the overriding factor
is what is at stake to warrant the emerging power struggle within NDP Scandinavia.
In terms of membership, the party does not have a base upon which it can
launch effective political campaigns. The situation is such that the party
is dominated by a clique of opportunists who have no track record in struggle
or politics but who have suddenly found themselves in a situation where they
can develop strong links with Raila Odinga then exploit the contacts for
personal gain. With his clear opposition to political opportunism, Mr. Sumba
seem to have been standing on the way and this could explain the banal campaigns
to make him irrelevant in the situation.
The conspiracies within NDP Scandinavia are also linked to a quest for prestige
and political recognition. Any faction recognised by NDP headquarters will
have the big advantage of controlling any funds raised abroad on behalf of
the party. By trying to wheedle support out of the Ambassador without the
involvement of Mr. Sumba, the anti-Sumba group is cultivating a base upon
which to interest party leaders in Nairobi as part of a wider plan
to make a political impact. It will be interesting to see how the situation
develops.
The fact that the Ambassador accepted to attend a private party in which
Mr. Sumba had been kept out should serve as a reminder that the Ambassador
may be part of the anti-Sumba plot that is increasingly becoming the focus
of attention in Stockholm city. The big question analysts are still trying
to answer is whether Mr. Sergon's latest change of tact in relation to NDP
Scandinavia is based on orders from KANU headquarters in Nairobi or whether
the Ambassador is on a new and reckless personal adventure.
Published by Kenya Socialist Democratic Alliance
(KSDA)
email: harakatips@hotmail.com
Home