Communist Party of Kenya
The Communist Party of Kenya (CPK) is a registered political party in Kenya.[1] It is chaired by Mwandawiro Mghanga.[2]
Communist Party of Kenya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Mwandawiro Mghanga |
| Deputy Chairperson | Booker Ngesa |
| Secretary General | Benedict Wachira |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Nairobi |
| Newspaper | Itikadi |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| International affiliation | ICOR |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
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The party was established in 1992 as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) by Johnstone Makau.[3] 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.[3] 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. In 2019, the party changed to its present name.[4]
In February 2022 the party garnered mild internet fame after a campaign video went viral.[5]
Electoral history
Presidential elections
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Did not participate | |||
| 1997 | Charity Ngilu | 488,600 | 7.89% | Lost  |
| 2002 | James Orengo | 24,524 | 0.4% | Lost |
| 2007 | Did not participate | |||
| 2013 | ||||
| Aug. 2017 | ||||
| Oct. 2017 | ||||
References
- "ABOUT CPK". www.communistpartyofkenya.org. Communist Party of Kenya. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- "CPK Central Committee 2019". 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 February 5, 2022.
