How To Register A Political Party In Kenya, Requirement.

Registration of any association of persons or organization 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

Provisional Registration 

The Political Parties Act 2011, Sec 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.

• 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 thirty days of the association or organization fulfilling the conditions prescribed in section 6, issue that association or organization with a certificate of provisional registration.

A political party that has been provisionally registered as per conditions above shall,

not later than one hundred and eighty days from the date of provisional registration, apply to the Registrar for full registration.

Conditions of 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 one thousand registered voters  from each of more than half of the counties;

• the members referred to in paragraph shall reflect regional and ethnic diversity, gender balance and representation of minorities and marginalized groups;

• the composition of its governing body reflects regional and ethnic diversity, gender balance and representation of minorities and marginalized groups;

• not more than two-thirds of the members of its governing body are of the same gender;

• it has demonstrated that members of its governing body meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution and the laws relating to ethics;

• it has submitted to the Registrar a list of the names, addresses and identification particulars of all its members; the location of its head office, which shall be a registered office within Kenya and a postal address to which notices and other communication may be sent; and the location and addresses of the branch offices of the political party, which shall be in more than half of the counties;

• be accompanied by the prescribed fee; and

• it has undertaken to be bound by this Act and the Code of Conduct set out in the First Schedule.

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

A person who is not a citizen of Kenya shall not be appointed to any office or be a member of a political party in Kenya.