Electoral players interrogate state of reforms ahead of the General Election

By Corporate Communication

Lion Place Nairobi, Kenya; July, 20, 2020.

The continual assessment of state of preparedness towards general elections is a key component in an electoral cycle. Key players in election processes virtually convened on the 15^th July 2020, organised by Electoral Observation Group (ELOG) Kenya to scrutinise the state of affairs under the theme Kenya’s reforms scorecard ahead of the 2022 general elections.

Participants were drawn from state, non-state actors and a host of independent experts in electoral processes such as the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT, Siasa Place and the Electoral Law and Governance Institute (ELGIA).

Central in the discussions was the various reforms that have been and are on cards upbeat to the forthcoming general election. The Registrar of Political Parties, Ann Nderitu was among the lead panel of experts leading the discussions. In her presentation, the Registrar highlighted key areas of reforms, proposing a holistic and contextualised approach to the required reforms.

A promotional poster containing the lead panellists in the forum. Illustration courtesy of ELOG

Based on the experiences of past general elections, wide array of issues were deliberated. The Registrar enumerated laudable milestones achieved so far by a multi-agency taskforce established in 2018 on necessary reforms, one of which, development of a draft policy and bill on party primaries.

 “A host of issues besides the policy and bill also come to the fore out of the Taskforce’s strive. Such as proposals for a review of procedures, clarity and measures governing Internal Dispute Mechanisms on party primaries”, noted Ann Nderitu.

On independent candidates, she informed of the ORPP’s proposal to use clear photos rather than symbols which proved the process of clearing independent candidates tedious and cumbersome. This would call for amendment of section 32 of the Elections Act to reflect the shift.

The Registrar noted the need for fast-tracking amendments to the relevant laws to iron gray areas identified.

“ORPP being the custodian of party records including party membership register, there is need for a better coordination for instance, in submission of party membership lists for purposes of nominations, emanate from ORPP and not political parties, a way that will reduce unnecessary workload on the parties. Similarly, for the matter of submission of party nomination rules”, she observed.

Consistency in respect to sanctions was also put into scrutiny with proposals for the need to set out penalties for breach of political parties’ code of conduct to mirror that of the electoral code of conduct as stipulated in the Elections Act. Currently, penalties for contravention of the political parties’ code are not provided for in the political parties Act, 2011.

A host of other proposals were discussed including the need to have a collaborative arrangement between the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) for external arbitration that have always turned highly litigious. Other proposals were on: qualifications into Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC), regulation of sources and expenditure limits in political campaigns, management of party lists, party primaries to be a subject of internal dispute resolution mechanisms, criteria for allocation of the Political Parties Fund among others.

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Utilise internal mechanisms to timely resolve conflicts within Political Parties

By Corporate Communication.

Nairobi Kenya, Tuesday June 2nd,2020.

The Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu has reiterated the cardinal importance of political parties to optimally use parties’ Internal Dispute Mechanisms to resolve conflicts if they arise.

In a media interview in her Office on the 2nd June, 2020, the Registrar noted that the respective party Constitutions have elaborate provisions adequate to address issues including those pertaining officials and even members. She advised that relevant governing organs of political parties should take the lead and procedurally handle issues within the party before such gets out of hand.

“Aware of the divergent opinions that party officials may hold, there is need to sit and amicably square out issues within the party structures before such matters escalate into conflict”, Ann Nderitu counselled.

Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu (seated front) and Juliet Murimi, Director Compliance in a consultative meeting with a section of Ford Kenya party officials at the Registrar’s Office on 2^nd June, 2020.

The Registrar further urged that political parties should entrench a culture of trusting party organs in solving issues hence minimising conflicts that at times playout in the public and also some ending up into protracted legal battles. She noted that jostling of whichever nature within or between political parties will be detrimental to the institutional image of parties and ultimately negating the national object for which political parties are established.

Ms. Nderitu urged the responsible party governing organs to periodically re-assess their respective Constitutions for review and/or amendments if need be in order to factor in emerging issues in the course of implementation.

Being one of the key instruments of managing political parties, she added, “Section 20 of the Political Parties Act allows that a political party may make alternations to its Constitution but notify the Registrar in a prescribed format within stipulated times”.

The development of a political party Constitution and its consequent evaluation by the ORPP is done within the provisions of second schedule of the Political Parties Act, 2011 and the Political Parties (Registration) Regulations, 2019. A party Constitution details a host of matters such as: the party corporate identifiers and philosophy; documented structure and policies; membership and governance requirements; disciplinary measures; rules and regulations among a host of other stipulations.

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Procedure to de-List,and Join another Political Party

By Nandwa Hope
Lion Place Nairobi, Kenya; June, 30, 2020.

We have received numerous complaints from citizens to have been enlisted by political parties that they never subscribed to.

Should you find yourself registered as a Member of a Political Party that you didn’t apply for,follow the procedure below and we will remove your details:
1) Write a letter of resignation, with your details to the party and copy the Registrar of Political Parties.
2) Attach a copy of National ID or Valid Passport to the letter.
3) Send a copy of your letter and National ID or Valid Passport to our office, or scan and forward to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please note that all resignation letters MUST be sent to a political party that recruited you.

ORPP continues to follow the Ministry of health directives in observing social distance during this Covid-19 pandemic and urge all complaints to be sent to the e-mail above. Please remember to attach Copy of your National ID or Valid Passport.

Joining another party is an individual choice. Simply contact the party you would like to join.We have provided a list of all Fully Registered Political Parties on https://bit.ly/2X1mDbM.

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ORPP goes digital in conduct of meetings

By Corporate Communication Unit.

Lion Place Nairobi, Kenya; May 11th,2020.

The Office of Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) is now among the public institutions that have moved with speed to embrace technology to execute key business matters. This was exemplified by the 1st virtual meeting of the Management team (The Heads of Department) held on the 4th May, 2020.

The virtual meeting was conducted via the ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs’ recommended Zoom platform, a solution quickly gaining traction as a meeting online platform for institutions.

The meeting came against backdrop of the government directive to limit face to face meetings to a maximum of four (4) persons among other advice pertaining conduct of meetings.

“It has been decided that all meetings of more than four (4) individuals will be conducted through available on-line platforms, Webex and Zoom have proved appropriate and are currently in widespread use across public service”, instructs a circular form the Head of Public Service of the 23rd April, 2020.

“We will continue exploring but alternative appropriate avenues of conducting our business such as this virtual meeting platform as an institution that embraces and adopts responsive technology”, she noted.

She advised the users of the need to be mindful of risks that might be in the use of such technology, hence the need for a concerted risk assessment to ensure the Office adopts technology devoid of cyber attacks and other technological-oriented vulgarities.

Ms. Nderitu further appreciated members of staff for according one another professional support in the wake of Covid-19 situation. She lauded the staff for their continued effort in attending core Office tasks in their respective functional areas during the Covid-19 pandemic.

''Although we have scaled down the operations as per government protocols, I appreciate the work done so far that our customers are happy about”, she observed.

Ms.Nderitu assured the stakeholders of the Office’s commitment to serve them within the laid down procedures hence no much interruptions of service. The Registrar urged staff to continue working with commitment and dedication on their respective assignments on or off-duty station.

“We will progressively continue to give guidance on our operations in line with dictates of government guidelines from time to time as the Coronavirus situation unfolds”, she added.

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