House Finance Committee Chairperson Kimani Kuria has warned political parties against adopting zoning arrangements in coalition deals, arguing that the move threatens democratic space and entrenches ethnic-based, agenda-less parties.
The UDA lawmaker, who spoke to reporters in Molo on Friday, criticized proposals reportedly advanced by ODM as part of pre-coalition talks with UDA, saying zoning would deny Kenyans the right to freely elect leaders of their choice.
“As much as we welcome the views of our brothers in ODM and other like-minded parties, personally I am against this idea of zoning for a number of reasons. Zoning is the root cause of tribalism and lack of democracy in some regions in this country,” the Molo MP said.He argued that zoning arrangements not only limit voter choice but also weaken accountability, as leaders would rely on party endorsement rather than popular support to secure electoral victory.
Kuria urged politicians to align themselves with parties whose manifestos reflect the aspirations of the constituents they seek to represent, instead of joining outfits formed around regional or ethnic interests.