Communist Party of Kenya
The Communist Party of Kenya (CPK) is a communist party in Kenya.[1]
Communist Party of Kenya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Kinuthia Ndung'u |
| Deputy Chairperson | Booker Ngesa |
| General Secretary | Sefu Sani |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Nairobi |
| Newspaper | Itikadi |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| International affiliation | ICOR |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
History
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The party was established in 1992 as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) by Johnstone Makau.[2] The party did not nominate a presidential candidate in the December 1992 general elections, and received only 177 votes in the National Assembly elections.
Charity Ngilu joined the party before the 1997 elections, and was selected as the party's presidential candidate. She finished fifth in a field of 15 candidates with 7.9% of the vote. The party also won 15 seats in the National Assembly. Ngilu left the party after the elections, and in 2001 was succeeded as party chairman by James Orengo.[2] He stood as the party's presidential candidate in the 2002 elections, but received just 0.4% of the vote; the party also lost all 15 seats in the National Assembly. Its vote share was reduced to 0.4% in the 2007 general elections, in which it fielded 24 candidates. It also failed to win seats in the 2013 elections, receiving only 0.15% of the vote with seven candidates.
The party adopted its current name and programme in 2019,[3] later garnering mild internet fame in February 2022 after one of its campaign videos went viral.[4]
Mwandawiro Mghanga was the party chairman until an internal split in 2022.[5]
CPK member Felix Musili was reportedly killed by officers of the Kenya Police at his parents' home in Kitui County on 11 January 2023.[6] Mwingi Central MP Gideon Mulyungi expressed his condolences to Musili's family and called for the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to investigate the matter.[7] The Communist Party of Swaziland and Communist Party of Venezuela released official statements condemning the killing.[8][9]
Electoral history
Presidential elections
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | did not contest | |||
| 1997 | Charity Ngilu | 488,600 | 7.89% | Lost  |
| 2002 | James Orengo | 24,524 | 0.4% | Lost |
| 2007 | did not contest | |||
| 2013 | ||||
| Aug. 2017 | ||||
| Oct. 2017 | ||||
| 2022 | ||||
References
- "ABOUT CPK". www.communistpartyofkenya.org. Communist Party of Kenya. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- Robert M. Maxon, Thomas P. Ofcansky (2014) Historical Dictionary of Kenya, Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 315–316
- "Social Democratic Party of Kenya changes name to Communist Party of Kenya".
- Baio, Ariana. "Kenya's Communist Party goes viral after rappers made a campaign video". indy100. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- "CPK Central Committee 2019" (PDF). www.communistpartyofkenya.org. Communist Party of Kenya. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- @CommunistsKe (12 January 2023). "THE BRUTAL CHILLING MURDER OF COMRADE FELIX MUSILI BY THE KENYA POLICE On January 11, 2023, at about 5 am, three uniformed police officers stormed the home of Felix's parents in Mumbuni, Kitui and took Felix's life with several gunshots" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 January 2023 – via Twitter.
- Gideon Mulyungi Mp 2017 Our Hope on Facebook
- "CPS condemns the murder of Felix Musili by Kenyan police". cp-swa.org. Communist Party of Swaziland. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- "Sobre el vil asesinato del camarada Felix Musili del Partido Comunista de Kenia". wordpress.com (in Spanish). Communist Party of Venezuela. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
