NAKURU, Kenya — Thirty-two provisionally registered political parties are stuck in limbo after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) ran out of funds to conduct mandatory verification, raising concerns over electoral preparedness ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou told Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday that the funding shortfall has halted inspections required for parties to attain full registration, effectively freezing their participation in the next election cycle.
Speaking during the 2026 Legislative Retreat in Nakuru, Lorionokou said verifying a single political party costs about Sh3.9 million, putting the total cost of clearing the current backlog at approximately Sh62.4 million.
“The Office has witnessed an increase in applications for registration for political parties, but we are unable to undertake the mandatory activities required under the law,” he said.
Under the Political Parties Act, parties must demonstrate functional offices in at least 24 counties, meet minimum membership thresholds, comply with gender representation rules and include special interest groups in their governing structures.
These requirements can only be confirmed through physical inspections by ORPP officers.
Without full registration, parties cannot field candidates, access public funding or operate fully ahead of the 2027 polls.
Currently, Kenya has 90 fully registered political parties. Lorionokou noted that Ukweli Party and Vibrant Democratic Party were deregistered on January 12, 2026, further narrowing the political field.
The registrar said the verification freeze is part of a wider funding crisis that has crippled ORPP’s ability to carry out its core mandate, including compliance enforcement, inspections and capacity-building programmes.
For the 2025/26 financial year, ORPP requested Sh1.6 billion but received only Sh508.6 million, most of which has been absorbed by recurrent expenses such as salaries, rent and medical insurance.
The crisis has also spilled over into the Political Parties Fund, which by law should receive at least 0.3 per cent of national government revenue — about Sh7.6 billion for the current financial year.
However, only Sh1.9 billion was allocated, representing less than 0.1 per cent.
Chronic underfunding of the fund has previously triggered court battles, including lawsuits filed by the Orange Democratic Movement against the National Treasury and the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Courts have consistently affirmed the requirement for full statutory funding.
At present, only 47 political parties qualify for disbursements from the fund, following the dissolution of Amani National Congress in February 2025.
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Lorionokou said ORPP will enforce compliance rules more strictly, particularly on gender balance, inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities and other special interest groups, as well as internal party democracy.
“Parties that fail to meet gender thresholds or exclude special interest groups are not eligible for public funding,” he said, adding that only parties that secured at least one elective seat in the previous election qualify for the fund.
He also urged political parties to initiate a national dialogue to safeguard peaceful and credible elections.
“We have one country. If it stands, it stands for all; if it sinks, it sinks for all,” Lorionokou said, calling on party leaders to take collective responsibility for electoral stability.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula echoed the concerns, urging lawmakers to urgently address institutional and financial gaps affecting election management bodies.
“The preparedness of the nation for the forthcoming elections is a matter of national interest. Where gaps exist, we must act decisively,” Wetang’ula said.
