The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has raised alarm over a looming funding crisis that could affect preparations for the 2027 General Election.
Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou has presented a Ksh964 million budget proposal to Parliament, warning that the office is already struggling to meet its core mandate due to limited funding.
According to Lorionokou, the proposed allocation will support critical election-related functions including oversight of political parties, technology upgrades, legal reforms, staff training and civic education programmes.
A significant portion of the budget Ksh151.22 million has been earmarked for recruiting county and constituency monitors to supervise political party activities across the country. Another Ksh142.6 million is set aside for training party officials, aspirants, women, youth and persons with disabilities on electoral requirements.
The office also plans to invest Ksh118.8 million in upgrading the Integrated Political Parties Management System (IPPMS) to ensure accurate membership records ahead of the polls.
Despite these plans, ORPP says it is grappling with a major shortfall in the current 2025/2026 financial year. The office was allocated Sh508.6 million against a requirement of Ksh1.6 billion, forcing it to suspend key operations including compliance inspections and verification of party offices.
Currently, 32 political parties hold provisional registration status, with verification costs estimated at Sh3.9 million per party.
To bridge the immediate gap, the Registrar is seeking Ksh322.96 million in supplementary funding to facilitate inspections, legal reforms, IPPMS upgrades, staff training and acquisition of vehicles.
Lorionokou warned that without adequate resources, the country risks heading into the 2027 election cycle with weakened oversight structures, potentially undermining public confidence in political party processes.
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