In Kenya, ethnicity is a major obstacle for the formation of stable political parties. All parties could be identified as ethnic parties. Kenya is representative of countries in which ethnic parties prevail. The Kenya case further confirmed that ethnic divisions can lead to the formation of ethnic parties. Ethnic parties in turn can have detrimental effects on state stability.

The case of Namibia demonstrates that nonethnic parties exist and endure in Africa. This chapter provides apt evidence that Namibia's dominant party, the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), is the prototype of a catch-all party. For long, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) was the official parliamentary opposition party (1989–2005). The DTA is the prototype of a multiethnic alliance. The evolving dynamics of party competition in Namibia are particularly intriguing. The coexistence of an ethnic opposition does not cause the disintegration of the nonethnic party in government, as predicted by Horowitz (2000). Following the 2005 elections, the Congress of Democrats (CoD) managed to become the new official parliamentary position. The CoD is another example of a catch-all party. A mixed-party system thus transformed into a nonethnic party system. In Namibia, enduring party competition does not foster ethnic antagonism but leads to the rise of nonethnic parties.