National Development Party (Kenya)

The National Development Party (NDP) was political party in Kenya which was of national importance between 1994 and 2001.

Becoming Odinga's party

Being an unimportant splinter group until 1994 it was joined by Raila Odinga after he left Ford-Kenya when he did not win the leadership of that party. Odinga pulled the Ford-members of parliament from Nyanza Province with him. They won the by-elections stipulated by Kenyan law after a party change thus propelling NDP to the position of a major opposition party in the Kenyan parliament.

The party managed to retain its strong position in Nyanza region mainly among the Luo population during the 1997 elections when it returned 21 members to parliament.

Cooparation and coalition with KANU

In 2000 NDP started to cooperate with the KANU-government of president Daniel arap Moi. From June 2001 three ministers of NDP joined the cabinet thus inaugurating the first coalition cabinet in Kenya's history. ^[1]

2002 Merger and split with KANU

In spring 2002 NDP merged with KANU. NDP leader Odinga became General Secretary of the united Party.^[2] This union was to be short lived as from summer 2002 it became obvious that Moi was determined to have Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor which was confirmed by a KANU congress in October 2002. Odinga who had been aware of manipulated lists of delegates pulled out from the congress together with his followers from the former NDP and was joined by a number of KANU politicians who protested against Moi's manipulation of the party meeting in favour of his chosen candidate.

Together they joined the until then insignificant Liberal Democratic Party which was to be one of the founding members of the National Rainbow Coalition which went on to win the 2002 presidential and parliamentary elections.

1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1382821.stm Kenya reshuffle brings in opposition - BBC 11-06-2001 viewed on 5-01-2008
2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1878321.stm Merger shakes up Kenyan politics - BBC 18-03-2002 viewed on 5-01-2008