The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has granted provisional registration to eight new political parties after they met the legal requirements, giving them the green light to begin operations as they work towards full registration ahead of the next General Election.
The certificates were issued on Monday at the ORPP headquarters in Nairobi after the parties met the legal requirements for provisional registration under the Political Parties Act.
The newly registered parties are the Alliance for Democratic Association (ADA), People Salvation Party of Kenya (PSP-K), Neema Congress Party (NCP), One Nation Movement (ONM), Shikana Frontliners for Unity Party (SFUP), National Forum Party (NFP), People Prosperity Party (PPP) and National Integration Party (NIP).
Speaking during the issuance ceremony, Registrar of Political Parties John Lorionokou urged the new parties to remain faithful to their founding ideals and focus on addressing the country's governance challenges.
"The certification today must not be just adding to the political parties' numbers, but critically as entities that stand for governance, meaningful inclusion and are keen on transformation and sustainability," Lorionokou said.
He challenged the founding officials to evaluate the value their parties would bring to Kenyans while remaining committed to improving citizens' lives.
Assistant Registrar CPA Florence Birya reminded the party officials that obtaining provisional registration was only the beginning, noting that compliance with the law must continue throughout the life of each political party.
"You must maintain compliance throughout your party's existence. You must continue designing systems, maintain records and undertake recruitment of your members while obtaining necessary consent as per Data Protection requirements," Birya said.
She also urged the parties to promote inclusivity by ensuring special interest groups are represented in key leadership positions.
Birya further reminded the officials that they have 270 days from the date of certification to fulfil the legal requirements for full registration as stipulated in the Political Parties Act.
Among the conditions they must meet are establishing inclusive governing organs, recruiting members across the required number of counties, setting up functional headquarters and county offices, and maintaining proper records and data management systems.
The registration exercise was coordinated by the ORPP's Head of Registration, Locha Erukudi, alongside officials from various departments who guided the party officials on compliance requirements.
The Registrar's office said political parties play a critical role in strengthening democracy and should uphold the principles of leadership, integrity and constitutionalism while providing solutions to the country's governance challenges.
Officials from the eight parties welcomed the guidance provided by the ORPP and pledged to establish party structures, recruit members and comply with all statutory requirements within the prescribed timelines as they seek full registration ahead of the next General Election.
