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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ORPP assures stakeholders security of its ICT system

Corporate Affairs
Lion Place Nairobi, Kenya; October,11,2019.

The Office of Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has re-assured that the information system it deploys in the management of political parties is fool-proof. The Integrated Political Parties Management System (IPPMS), an internally developed system has in its security design an encompassing security features to safeguard its data and manage its use.

The Office stated this position as one of its submissions to the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on 3rd October 2019 at Parliament buildings. The Registrar Ann Nderitu, noted that the Office continued to review and improve this and other envisaged systems for optimal attainment of their intended purpose. “We have in place a robust and tamper-proof system that has incorporated in its design and management all tenets of information security management”, the Registrar noted.

The system which has been lauded by stakeholders as a pivotal online mechanism was further explained to have well-controlled users’ credentials to mitigate unauthorized access. “We grant user access rights to designated external parties with express guidelines and accountability procedures”, explained the Senior ICT Officer, Bob Waithaka.The ICT Head, also highlighted to the PAC members of soon to be embarked process of engaging relevant government agencies to explore partnership as one of the ways of expanding the scope of the system through available e-platforms such as the e-citizen.

The Registrar further informed of the on-going programme to upgrade the system to incorporate other functionalities. She noted the upgrade is solely informed by a clearly mapped out gaps and stakeholder feedback received in the course use of the system.

The ORPP team appeared to the PAC Committee to present the audited accounts for the ORPP’s financial year 2016/17, which the Office of the Auditor-General had favourably rated as “unqualified” with minor areas of improvement. Other areas of discussion during the meeting centred on administration of Political Parties Fund, party primaries among other election legal reforms.

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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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Office tables proposal to political parties’ law

Corporate Affairs
Lion Place Nairobi, Kenya; July,31,2019.

The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) appeared before the National Assembly’s select Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee on 23 rd July 2019 to present its position on the proposed amendments to the Political Parties Act (PPA), 2011.

A section on during the presentation by the ORPP to National Assembly Constitutional Implementation

Oversight Committee at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi.

The proposals were geared towards enriching the Representation of Special Interest Group Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 before the Jeremiah Kioni’s chaired House Committee. Key proposals were on specific provisions regarding the qualification and criteria for distribution of the Political Fund under section 25 of the PPA. Unlike the previously, clarity has been given in the amendment to the effect that the “Fund should exclusively be shared and allocated to the political parties and not the coalition of parties”. In respect to the criteria for distribution, a deletion of 25 (a) (ii) with a new of sub-section has been reccomedned to read “ 50% of the Fund proportionately shared between political parties that meet the threshold set out under section 25 (2) (c) of the Bill…” the proposal reads in part. A re-introduction of a PPA 2007, provision in allocation to special interest group has been sought. Such will provide for “as provided for under the 2007 Act, the 20% should be shared/distributed proportionately among the political parties that participated in the preceding elections in reference to total number of votes secured at the last general election by each of the party’s presidential, governor, parliamentary and county assembly candidates. Clarity has also been proposed to define the allocated funds to Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) pursuant to section 25 (1) (e) of the Bill by replacing the word “administration” with “dialogue operations”.

The proposals are part of the legal reforms that the ORPP is working on with other key stakeholders ahead of the general elections.

The Office was represented in the sitting by Registrar Ann Nderitu, Juliet Murimi (Compliance), Bon Makolwal (Legal), Joseph Kanja (Planning) and Joshua Kimulu (Finance).

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