Nairobi is facing a setback in the registration of new political parties due to a funding shortage at the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP). The ORPP has run out of funds to verify compliance requirements, leaving 32 provisionally registered parties unable to attain full registration. This development may lock out dozens of emerging parties from participating in the 2027 General Election.
According to Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lurionokou, the office lacks the necessary funds to conduct mandatory verification of the parties’ offices and membership structures. The verification process, which costs approximately Sh3.9 million per party, is a requirement under the Political Parties Act. The total cost of clearing the current backlog is estimated at Sh62.4 million, which the office is seeking through the first Supplementary Estimates for the 2025/26 financial year.
The registration freeze has significant implications for the affected parties, as they remain in legal limbo and cannot field candidates, access public funding, or operate fully ahead of the next election cycle. The ORPP is facing a wider funding shortfall, which has crippled its ability to carry out core functions, including compliance enforcement, political party inspections, and capacity-building programs.
The funding crisis also affects the Political Parties Fund, which is supposed to receive at least 0.3% of national government revenue. However, the fund received only Sh1.9 billion, representing less than 0.1% of national revenue, for the 2025/26 financial year. This underfunding has persisted for several years, triggering court battles, including cases filed by the Orange Democratic Movement.
Currently, only 47 political parties qualify for disbursements from the fund. In preparation for the 2027 polls, the ORPP plans to tighten enforcement of compliance rules, particularly on gender representation, inclusion of special interest groups, and internal party democracy. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has urged MPs to address the institutional and financial gaps facing election management bodies, warning that delays could undermine preparedness for the next polls.
With barely 18 months to the next General Election, concerns are growing that funding delays could shrink the political field and weaken oversight of party primaries and campaign conduct. The ORPP’s funding shortage has significant implications for the country’s electoral process, and it remains to be seen how the situation will be resolved.
