Steps to register a political party in Kenya

The move by Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu to reject applications to reserve several names linked to Gen Z for the purposes of forming political parties citing a lack of inclusivity has sparked a storm.

Those who had applied for registration have indicated that they are not satisfied with the reasons given by Nderitu to quash their applications.

Some have already taken the matter to the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal, which is currently examining a petition, to compel Nderitu to register their parties.

Nderitu rejected plans by people purporting to represent Gen Z to reserve some names they intend to use to register a political party and field candidates in the 2027 general election.

“Your application has been considered by law and the names suggested have been rejected as they do not promote inclusivity, hence against article 91(1)(a) (e) of the Constitution. Should you need any further clarification or assistance, please visit our office,” said Nderitu.

The names rejected by Nderitu include Gen-Z Movement, Gen-Z National Movement, Gen-Z People’s Alliance, Gen-Z Peoples Movement, Gen-Z Democratic Party, Gen-Z Alliance Movement, Gen-Z Democratic Movement, Gen-Z United Movement, Gen-Z Political Party and Gen-Z Alliance Party.

But what does it take to register a political party?

Registration of any association of persons or organisation as a political party occurs upon application for the same to the Registrar of Political Parties.

Registration of a party is a two-stage process: Provisional registration, and full registration.

The Political Parties Act 2011, Section 6 states that an application for the provisional registration of a proposed political party shall be in writing and be signed by the applicant.

An application for provisional registration shall include signed minutes of the first meeting of the founding members of the political party; set out the name of the political party; if the political party wishes to use an abbreviation of its name for the purposes of this Act, set out that abbreviation; be accompanied by a copy of the constitution of the proposed political party which shall comply with the law; include a request for the registration of the symbol of the political party.

The application shall also include an undertaking to be bound by this Act and the Code of Conduct set out in the First Schedule, and be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

Upon application for registration under subsection (1), the Registrar shall, within 30 days of the association or organisation fulfilling the conditions prescribed in section six, issue that association or organisation with a certificate of provisional registration.

A political party that has been provisionally registered as per the conditions above shall, not later than 180 days from the date of provisional registration, apply to the Registrar for full registration.

The Political Parties Act 2011, Sect 7 provides that an application for full registration of a political party shall be in writing and shall be signed by an authorized official of the political party.

A provisionally registered political party shall be qualified to be fully registered if it has recruited as members, not fewer than 1,000 registered voters from each of more than 24 counties;

The members referred shall reflect regional and ethnic diversity, gender balance and representation of minorities and marginalised groups;

The composition of its governing body must also reflect regional and ethnic diversity, gender balance and representation of minorities and marginalised groups; and not more than two-thirds of the members of its governing body are of the same gender.

The Registrar shall, within 30 days of an application, issue a certificate of full registration to a provisionally registered political party which has fulfilled the conditions of full registration.