Foreign governments, wealthy abroad individuals, charity organizations, the Kenyan diaspora and local business magnates are some of the people who will be secretly funding the Kenyan campaign machineries of different political parties in the early December General elections, their denials not withstanding.

ODM-Kenya’s Kalonzo Musyoka will be bankrolled by the Cyprus, Phillipines and British governments.

ODM’s Raila Odinga will receive his monies from Nigeria, Libya and a group of senators in the US who have Kenyan roots.

Mwai Kibaki’s funding will be from a group of former United States Presidents, local billionaires and politicians who have all joined behind his candidacy and the British government which for the first time in Kenyan history will be funding two rival groups.

So entrenched is the clandestine funding that politicians have conspired to push the effects of the political parties bill to next year, even if they manage to pass it in the remaining short life of parliament.

The Political parties’ bill is among 23 other crucial bill identified by the House Business Committee for urgent discussion and approval before the dissolution of parliament, which now appears to be set for Thursday 27th September next week – so as to allow President Mwai Kibaki to launch his Presidential bid on 29th September without fears of a legal hurdle.

However, the dissolving of parliament was reliant on the passage of the Finance and Appropriation bills that have the monies for the Electoral Commission of Kenya.

According to constitutional lawyer Paul Muite, who is also an influential Member of Parliament in Kenya, there was no way the President would prologue parliament without the passage of the two bills, but Assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri opined that “the government has a lot of money and we can hold elections then the next parliament will approve the two bills monies for other ministries have already been passed.”

That debate aside, wide ranging interviews with insiders of the three Presidential candidates gave us a sneak preview of the funding structure of the three parties.

KALONZO

A parliamentary aspirant within ODM-Kenya who has sat in all the political and strategy meetings of the party explained to this writer about the on goings in the funding of their Presidential candidate.

Though he was mean with figures, he disclosed that the Cyprus government was providing the bulk of the funding.

“By next week we will be rolling out big time, the money from Cyprus will have come in and you will see what we will do, we look small but watch us as we begin the major campaigns we have just been mark-timing,” said our source.

Asked why Cyprus, our source explained that Kalonzo had made significant linkages while he was a student at the Cyprus pursuing a management course and that he had kept the contacts during his tenure as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

A check at the records of travel at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the time and early 2003 shows that out of the 124 foreign trips made by Kalonzo abroad, 42 of them were to Cyprus.

Philippines and the Norway government are the other teams being associated with the Musyoka campaign team.

Locally, Musyoka has reconciled with billionaire gemstones trader Johnstone Muthama who is offsetting most of the travel expenses and has already supplied two choppers to be used by the team for campaigns.

They have also pre-booked police helicopters and paid up for rides when the campaigns proper begin.

Kalonzo affirmed that particular development in Kajiado recently telling residents of Kajiado Central, “We will also use choppers and even rent some so that we campaign without much trouble…”

RAILA

ODM is expected to draw funding from the Russian government, who has already provided two technical campaign assistants at Orange House.

The Nigerian government that has traditionally provided political and social support to the Raila Odinga family is also involved in the funding of the party campaigns.

In fact, in the 1997 presidential campaigns former Nigerian President Olesugun Obasanjo individually participated in the funding of Raila’s campaign.

Obasanjo, was also the chief mediator in the dowry negotiations of Raila’s son, Fidel recently.

The Libyan government according to an insider in the Raila team is also involved in talks with an aim of bankrolling the party.

Only two weeks ago the Libyan ambassador and three members of the pentagon met in a Nairobi hotel where the issue of funding was discussed to the detail.

Individuals within the German government where Raila went to school and the United States of America are also participating in the funding of the Raila campaign team.

US senators Henry Dawkins, John Edwards (who is vying for the Presidency on a Democratic Party ticket), Obama and Joe Biden all of whom have Kenyan connections – having been born in the pre-colonial period in Kenya are also said to favour Raila.

Two other legislators in Britain’s Labour and Conservative party whose names we could not immediately establish form the framework of funding for the Raila ODM team.

The Kenyan diaspora that has already saturated the internet with over 150 blogs in favour of Raila will be the other key team for the funding process –instructively that is the team in charge of advertisement and was the same one that funded the acquiring of the famous Hammer vehicle.

Locally he has the might of Cyrus Jirongo, who has offered to support a Raila campaign and that of Musalia Mudavadi to rely on.


KIBAKI

President Mwai Kibaki has the support of Britain and the United States of America.

Already united Way –Kenya Chapter – a multi-Million charity organization funded by among others all former United States Presidents and Bill gates is spending over Shs.2billion in offsetting campaign bills for the campaigns.

The organization based at View Park towers and headed by a Kibaki long time ally, who is also a constitutional lawyer, is responsible for the development of t-shirts, posters and is directly funding particular legislators in this year’s elections.

It is instructive to note that Charity organizations are tax exempt since the 2006/2007 budget.

Locally the combined wealth of Simeon Nyachae, Uhuru Kenyatta, Njenga Karume, George Saitoti and retired President Daniel Moi will be enough to offset the bills for Kibaki.

Stanley Livondo represents two faces that of Othaya political activist Mary Wambui and Harun Mwau – who has already provided two choppers for the Kibaki campaign.

To Kibaki’s credit he will not be printing money from the Treasury to offset his campaign budget, which is a crucial precedent.

Political parties funding has never been transparent in the country and the faces of those who contribute monies will not be revealed for the public to see, but at the sides those who fund campaigns benefit if their men win and occupy State House.

The 2007 general elections will be the best funded elections and the campaign period presents a battle for monies and display of creativity at spending it.