Senator David Wakoli.
By IP Team
BUNGOMA, Kenya .
Ford-Kenya cannot and will not be dissolved because it has an identity built on sacrifice, struggle, and service to the nation,Senator Wakoli Wafula has declared, pushing back against growing pressure to merge smaller parties into the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Speaking in Bungoma on Tuesday, Wakoli said Ford-Kenya is more than a political outfit—it is part of Kenya’s democratic heritage.
“This is a party that stood firm during the second liberation, when it was dangerous to speak truth to power. We cannot erase that history for short-term convenience,” he said.
The senator was responding to calls from within the ruling coalition for affiliate parties to dissolve and join the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 general election.
He said such proposals ignore the role Ford-Kenya played in fighting for multi-party democracy and reforms in the 1990s.
“Ford-Kenya has a soul. It was built in the trenches of resistance, not in boardrooms. To dissolve it would be to betray those who bled for Kenya’s democracy,” Wakoli said.
Founded in 1992, Ford-Kenya is one of Kenya’s oldest political parties and has long held influence in the Western region.
Its founding leaders—among them Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kijana Wamalwa, and Masinde Muliro—were key figures in the struggle against one-party rule.
Today, the party is led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and is a key partner in the Kenya Kwanza coalition government. But Wakoli insists that alliance should not mean absorption.
“We joined Kenya Kwanza to contribute, not to be consumed. Ford-Kenya remains a distinct voice, especially for our people in Western Kenya,” he said.
Wakoli warned that any attempt to force dissolution would backfire. “We are not passengers in government. We are shareholders with our own mandate and base. Trying to dissolve Ford-Kenya is not only unjust—it is politically suicidal.”
In recent months, the party has intensified grassroots engagement and youth mobilization, signaling its intent to stay active and independent.
Wakoli’s firm stance is expected to rally party loyalists and set the tone for Ford-Kenya’s positioning ahead of the next elections.
“Not now, not ever,” Wakoli declared. “We will not fold Ford-Kenya. We will fly its flag even higher.”
Ends.
