On paper, most registered political parties indicate they have branch offices in at least 24 counties, as required by law.
Audit reports, however, reveal the opposite. Most outfits only run head offices, with their branch offices either closed over rent arrears or lack lease agreements. Running offices in at least 24 counties has remained a costly affair, especially for small parties. Having branch offices means paying rent and hiring staff. To beat the system, some parties meet the requirements only for purposes of registration, only to close down the branch offices thereafter.
In ensuring compliance and to smoke out parties that have been cheating the system, Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou has announced a week-long investigation and physical inspection of head and branch offices of fully registered outfits.
Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The planned inspection has since triggered a major political storm. The implication is that several political parties without physical offices in at least 24 counties could be locked out of the 2027 polls.
Mr Lorionokou has notified the secretaries-general of the outfits of the exercise set for October 5–9. “In line with this mandate, the office will conduct an inspection of the head offices and branch offices of all fully registered political parties to ascertain compliance with the maintenance of a registered head office and branch offices in more than half the counties,” he said in a letter dated September 14.
The ORPP seeks to establish if the branch offices exist, whether they are accessible to the public, names and contact details of individuals in charge, availability of lease agreement and period of lease.
The registrar will also review party election and nomination rules; policies and plans, including list of activities; programmes and reports; ideology and a membership register showing details of men, women, youth and people with disability. The parties will also be required to provide the latest statement of income, expenditure, assets and liabilities.
But political parties are reading mischief into the planned exercise. Some party officials told the Nation that the ORPP had inspected head offices in March. They questioned the need for another inspection when parties are seeking to meet electoral timelines set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Some of the officials claim there could be a plot to lock out some parties from the 2027 polls. Some have since petitioned the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) to convene a crisis meeting with the ORPP.
An official of one of the major outfits said there was an agreement between the parties and the ORPP to conduct the exercise next year after the elections. PPLC chairperson Evans Misati said ORPP can proceed with the exercise but warned against taking action against non-compliance before the next election. “If that happens, we will fight viciously. Our parties should not be distracted from preparing for the next election. No party will be locked out of the election based on the exercise,” he said.
Kenya currently has 99 fully registered political parties, an increase of nine from 90 that existed in the run-up to the 2022 polls, according to the ORPP.
Also flagged for not having physical presence in at least 24 counties include Ford Kenya of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) associated with Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.
The Democratic Action Party Kenya (Dap-K) of former Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) of Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) of Ugenya MP David Ochieng’ and United Progressive Alliance associated with Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo were also flagged by Ms Gathungu in her report on the audited accounts of exchequer-funded political parties for 2024/25 tabled in Parliament.
At least 48 political parties that participated in the 2022 election benefit from the millions of taxpayers’ money to run their affairs.
ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga. He has revealed that ODM and UDA are working on a joint manifesto ahead of the 2027 elections.
Photo credit: Pool
President William Ruto’s UDA, Dr Oburu Oginga’s ODM, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Patriotic Front and People’s Liberation Party of former Gichugu MP Martha Karua are the few that have complied with the requirement of the law. Section 7(2)(f)(iii) of the Political Parties Act provides for the conditions under which a political party is considered duly registered. “A provisionally registered political party shall be qualified to be fully registered if it has submitted to the Registrar of Political Parties the location and addresses of the branch offices, which shall be in more than half of the counties,” the law states.
As a regulator of political parties, besides administering the Political Parties Fund, the Registrar of Political Parties has the responsibility to ensure the parties comply with the law. Mr Wamalwa’s Dap-K was registered under the Political Parties Act on May 17, 2021, with Dr Eseli Simiyu as secretary-general and Mr David Muchele as chairperson.
According to the Auditor-General, “during the year under review, the party operated only one office located in Nairobi. Although the party submitted a list indicating branch offices in 24 counties, no other supporting documentation, such as lease agreements, staff lists, or activity reports, was provided to verify the existence of the offices,” the audit reads.
The revenues recorded included Sh30.62 million for the fiscal year 2024/25 compared to Sh16.2 million for the 2023/24 period and Sh18.94 million for the 2022/23 financial year.
Mr Simiyu told the Nation that they have since complied with the requirements. He said some of their branch offices had not paid rent at the time the audit was conducted, but the party has since regularised. “The inspection is not a new thing. It is an annual exercise. We are currently compliant on that front. The issues which were there at the time of audit have been regularised,” he said.
Kanu Secretary-General George Wainaina at a past event.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Kanu secretary-general George Wainaina did not respond to our queries on the status of compliance. Kanu, whose party leader is former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, was established under Section 3 of the Political Parties Act in 1960 and has party headquarters on the seventh floor of Prudential Building on Wabera Street, Nairobi. “The party had established only five county offices,” Ms Gathungu says. “Although the party submitted a list indicating branch offices in 24 counties, no supporting documentary evidence was provided to verify the existence of the offices. The party was in breach of the law.”
Data from the ORPP shows that Kanu has relied on the Political Parties Fund (PPF) and personal contributions as sources of revenue, with Sh29.03 million for 2024/25 compared to Sh21.24 million for the 2023/24 period.
Further, the audit shows that contrary to legal requirements, Jubilee Party “had only two offices operational in Nairobi, with eight offices in other counties that had been closed”.
This is a reduction compared to previous records submitted to the Auditor-General indicating that the party had 10 operational offices in 10 counties. The scale-down is notwithstanding that in 2023/24, Jubilee Party recorded Sh79.9 million in revenue compared to Sh91.01 million in 2022/23, representing a decline of 12.2 per cent. The party’s revenue included transfers from the ORPP. Generally, the funding reduced from Sh81.02 million in 2022/23 to Sh74.1 million in 2023/24, with public contributions and donations dropping significantly from Sh9.99 million to Sh5.84 million, reflecting a 41.5 per cent decrease.
Moses Wetang'ula, Ford-Kenya leader, at the party's headquarters in Nairobi on October 4, 2016.
Ford Kenya, with headquarters at Simba House off Ole Dume Road, Kilimani, Nairobi, has Mr Wetang’ula as its party leader, with Mr Joel Ruhu as national chairman and Dr John Chikati as secretary-general. The party was first registered in September 1992 under the Societies Act. Records at the Office of the Auditor-General indicate that it operated “only one office located in Nairobi. Although the party submitted a list of branch offices in 34 counties, no documentation such as lease agreements, staff list or activity was provided to verify the existence of the offices,” it states.
Non-compliance with the law was flagged, despite the party receiving Sh25.03 million from the PPF “based on the results of the August 2022 General Election” compared to Sh13.22 million for 2023/24. The sum included revenue from contributions by members of the National Assembly of Sh5.2 million, with members of the county assemblies contributing Sh1.2 million and Sh310,000 recorded as revenue from other sources.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi’s PAA was registered on July 2, 2021, with a secretariat at Epic Business Centre on Links Road in Nyali, Mombasa. The party marked its entry into national politics during the August 2022 General Election, “securing foundational representation with three parliamentary seats and 24 county assembly seats. The party only has Mr Hassan Abdalla Albeity listed as deputy party leader. The position of party leader is not indicated as per the party’s records submitted to the Auditor-General,” the audit says.
The audit records show that the party has established “only eight operational offices in eight counties,” against the requirement of the law and therefore “in breach of the law.”
Nonetheless, the party received Sh5.9 million in the 2024/25 fiscal year compared to the Sh5.8 million received the previous year.
Dr Mutua’s MCC was registered on September 22, 2016, with Mr Wilfred Nyamu as secretary-general and Mahat Rashid as deputy vice chair and has headquarters in House No. 12 on Riara Road, Kilimani, Nairobi. Details show the party operated “only four county offices.”
The party had submitted to the auditors a list indicating branch offices in 24 counties, but there was no documentary evidence like lease agreements or party activity reports “to verify the existence of these offices”.
In the 2024/25 financial year, MCC received Sh12.26 million compared to the Sh6.5 million during the preceding year.
The MDG party has also not complied with the requirements of the law. The party, registered on December 7, 2016, is claimed to have branches in Nairobi, Busia and Siaya and has Mr Michaels Oliewo as national executive director. It is headquartered at MDG Centre No. 22 on Masaba Road, off Upper Hill Road, Nairobi. Details from the auditors indicate that during the period under review, the party operated “only one office in Nairobi”, despite submitting a list indicating branch offices in 11 counties but without supporting documentation “such as lease agreements, staff list or activity to verify their existence”.
Records show that the party received Sh8.2 million from the parties’ fund for 2024/25 compared to Sh5.4 million for 2023/24 and Sh5.9 million during the 2022/23 period.
