32 Political Parties Awaits Full Registration Ahead of 2027
By Chemtai Kirui
NAIROBI, Jan 29 – Thirty‑two newly provisionally registered political parties are unable to attain full registration ahead of the 2027 general election because the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) lacks the funds to complete mandatory verification checks, officials say.
Registrar John Cox Lorionokou told members of the National Assembly during a legislative retreat that the office has exhausted its annual budget and cannot afford the about 3.9 million shillings required to verify each party’s offices and membership structures nationwide.
The total cost to clear the backlog is estimated at 62.4 million shillings.
For the 2025/26 financial year, the ORPP requested 1.6 billion shillings to execute its mandate, including compliance inspections and party regulation, but received only 508.6 million shillings, most of which went to recurrent costs such as salaries and rent.
Under the Political Parties Act, parties seeking full registration must demonstrate functional offices in at least 24 counties, meet minimum membership thresholds, and comply with gender and special interest representation rules, criteria that can be verified only through physical inspections.
Without full registration, parties cannot field candidates, access public funding, or fully participate in the election cycle.
Currently there are about 90 fully registered political parties, with the most recent deregistrations including the Ukweli Party and Vibrant Democratic Party earlier this month.
Lawmakers at the retreat called for tighter oversight and greater transparency in political party regulation and financing, warning that inadequate compliance monitoring and weak enforcement could undermine public trust in the democratic process ahead of the vote.
Deputy Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo‑Mbabosa said that equitable financing and adherence to legal standards are essential to broaden political participation, particularly for women, youth and persons with disabilities.
The funding shortfall also affects administration of the Political Parties Fund, which by law should receive at least 0.3 percent of national revenue, but has consistently been underfunded, limiting the regulator’s capacity to support parties that meet eligibility criteria.
Political analysts say the bottleneck in party verification showcases structural challenges in multiparty system as actors position themselves for 2027, with implications for coalition building, voter choice and electoral competitiveness.
