Nairobi — Registration of new political parties has stalled after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) ran out of funds to verify compliance requirements, potentially locking out dozens of emerging outfits from participating in the 2027 General Election.
Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lurionokou told Members of the National Assembly during a retreat in Naivasha that 32 provisionally registered parties are currently unable to attain full registration because the office lacks money to conduct mandatory verification of their offices and membership structures.
Currently there are 90 fully registered political parties (excluding deregistered political parties).Ukweli party and Vibrant Democratic Party were deregistered on 12th January 2026.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Under the Political Parties Act, parties seeking full registration must demonstrate that they have functional offices in at least 24 counties, meet minimum membership thresholds, comply with gender rules and include special interest groups in their governing organs requirements that can only be confirmed through physical inspections by ORPP officers.
Lurionokou said it costs about Sh3.9 million to verify one party, placing the total cost of clearing the current backlog at approximately Sh62.4 million, which the office is now seeking through the first Supplementary Estimates for the 2025/26 financial year.
Without verification, the parties remain in legal limbo and cannot field candidates, access public funding or operate fully ahead of the next election cycle.
The Registrar warned that the registration freeze is part of a wider funding shortfall that has crippled the regulator's ability to carry out core functions, including compliance enforcement, political party inspections and capacity-building programmes.
For the current financial year, ORPP requested Sh1.6 billion but received only Sh508.6 million, most of which has gone to recurrent expenses such as salaries, rent and medical insurance.
"The Office has witnessed an increase in applications for registration for political parties, but is now unable to undertake mandatory activities required under the law," Lurionokou said.
The funding crisis also extends to the Political Parties Fund, which by law should receive at least 0.3 per cent of national government revenue. For the 2025/26 financial year, that amount would translate to about Sh7.6 billion.
However, only Sh1.9 billion was allocated, representing less than 0.1 per cent of national revenue, continuing a trend of underfunding that has persisted for several years.
The shortfalls have previously triggered court battles, including cases filed by the Orange Democratic Movement against the National Treasury and the Speaker of the National Assembly, in which courts upheld the requirement for full statutory funding of the fund.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Currently, only 47 political parties qualify for disbursements from the fund, following the dissolution of the Amani National Congress in February 2025.
Lurionokou said that in preparation for the 2027 polls, ORPP will also tighten enforcement of compliance rules, particularly on gender representation, inclusion of special interest groups and internal party democracy.
Under the law, parties with more than two-thirds of office bearers from one gender, or those lacking representation of youth, persons with disabilities and other special interest groups, are not eligible for public funding. Parties must also have secured at least one elective seat in the previous election to qualify for the fund.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula urged MPs to address the institutional and financial gaps facing election management bodies, warning that delays could undermine preparedness for the next polls.
"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.
With barely 18 months to the next General Election, concerns are now growing that funding delays could not only shrink the political field but also weaken oversight of party primaries and campaign conduct.
