Kenya now has 107 fully registered political parties. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has issued full registration certificates to six more outfits ahead of the 2027 General Election, Nation reported.

More than 30 other parties hold provisional registration, a stage that lets them organise but not take part in elections.

Rapid growth

The number has grown quickly. On 29 September 2026, the ORPP said there were 101 fully registered parties and 38 provisionally registered ones. New parties have been formed by politicians who fell out with their old outfits and by groups preparing for coalition talks.

The road to full registration

Provisional registration is not a licence to contest elections. Newly provisionally registered parties have 270 days from certification to meet the legal requirements for full registration. These include having members and offices spread across the country, in line with the Political Parties Act.

The Registrar has repeatedly said that only fully registered and compliant parties can take part in elections, including the 2027 polls.

Cost questions

The rush of registrations has revived debate about what it costs to form and run a party, and whether the regulator has the resources to verify applicants. Earlier this year the Registrar said the office could not afford the roughly Sh3.9 million needed to verify each party's offices and membership nationwide.

Name battles

Registration has also become a battlefield. Senator Edwin Sifuna's bid to rename The Equitable Party as the Linda Mwananchi Movement has drawn an objection from the Liberty National Democratic Alliance. Other parties have taken disputes to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.

Photo: People Daily (file)