NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyans seeking elective seats on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket in the 2027 General Election will have to pay higher registration fees following new requirements announced by the ruling party.
In a statement, UDA said it had opened registration for its Aspirants’ Forum and introduced a tiered fee structure based on the position being sought.
Aspiring Members of County Assembly (MCAs) will pay Sh2,000, the lowest fee under the new framework, to register as official aspirants in the party’s nomination process.
Those seeking election to the National Assembly, Senate, or the Women Representative position will each be required to pay Sh5,000.
Gubernatorial aspirants face the highest charge, with UDA setting the registration fee at Sh10,000 for those seeking the county governor seat on its ticket.
The party said all registration fees are non-refundable, meaning aspirants will not recover the money regardless of the outcome of the nomination process.
Registration is being conducted exclusively online through the party’s official portal, with payments accepted via M-Pesa or direct bank transfer to UDA accounts.
The new fee structure forms part of preparations for the inaugural UDA Aspirants’ Forum, scheduled for February 4 at State House, Nairobi. The forum is expected to deliberate on nomination rules and mechanisms ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
UDA said the meeting will focus on developing systems to ensure what it described as “free, fair and transparent” party nominations across the country.
The move comes as the party continues its grassroots reorganisation. Phase III repeat grassroots elections are scheduled for March 7 in 20 counties, including Meru and Kiambu.
Phase II repeat polls will follow on March 28, covering 22 counties, among them Mombasa, Garissa, Kitui, and Kisumu.
The party also announced that its online registration portal for new aspirants to the Polling Centre Congress opened on January 21 and will close on February 21.
President William Ruto is expected to chair a Special National Governing Council meeting on January 26 at State House to address party matters and preparations for 2027.
Recent opinion polls show UDA remains Kenya’s most popular political party, with 23pc support in an Infotrak survey and 16pc in a TIFA poll. However, it faces growing competition from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which polls at 19–20pc, while 22–31pc of Kenyans remain unaffiliated with any political party.
UDA claimed a membership of more than 7 million by late 2023, with 2.4 million members participating in its January 2026 grassroots elections across 20 counties.
