In Kenya political parties always come and go. If they don't go then they become weak and less influential as before. The likes of KANU party, PNU and now Jubilee party have suffered this fate. The only political party that has however managed to beat the test of time and stay as relevant as it used to be in the past is the Orange Democratic Party formed and led by Raila Odinga.
The party was formed back in 2005 and is still as big and relevant as it used to be back in the day. As a matter of fact it has even become bigger and better. Here are possible reasons why the party has survived and managed to stay relevant for long.
Number one the party leader Raila Odinga is still active in politics. Other parties saw their leaders retire and in the process die. Moi retired and KANU died, Kibaki retired and PNU died and recently Uhuru retired and Jubilee is dying. Raila's active involvement is politics is keeping the ODM party alive.
Secondly, the party has managed to attract loyal supporters. It has been able to do by becoming a brand of the Luo community. As a Luo, the ODM party is part of your identity. New generations are coming up already supporting the party. It's just like football clubs. Most times children support the club they find their parents or household supporting. Luo children just find themselves supporting Raila and ODM. If they keep doing so then the party is going to live for long.
Thirdly, the party is keeping up with the changing times. The ODM party is adapting to changes. The law of nature is you either adapt or die. The ODM party is involving more youths in their affairs as they are the future and people who manage to keep parties alive nowadays. They are also keeping up with modern trends such as having social media pages where they reach millions. Supporters are now online and not on the road as before.
Lastly, the party has loyal members. Politicians in the ODM party are loyal. No betrayals and defections has kept and will continue keeping the party alive for years to come.
Content created and supplied by: FootballandLifeCorner (via Opera News )
COMMENTS