Registrar of parties to be named soon

What you need to know:

  • Ms Ndung’u said Tuesday that she had asked the government and Parliament to start the process of delinking the office from the commission.
  • The office, which registers, regulates, and investigates political parties to ensure compliance with the Political Parties Act, has also been on the spot over political party funding and conduct, particularly on the activities of the Jubilee Alliance Party.

The Registrar of Political Parties will soon be appointed and the office separated from the electoral commission, the acting office holder, Ms Lucy Ndun’gu, has said.

Ms Ndung’u said Tuesday that she had asked the government and Parliament to start the process of delinking the office from the commission.

“There are plans to appoint not just a registrar, but also three assistant registrars,” she said.
Ms Ndung’u has been the acting registrar for the last four years, raising concern among political parties.

Pressure has been mounting on President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint a substantive registrar, with claims in some political circles that the incumbent has been deliberately retained for the benefit of some players.

ON THE SPOT

The office, which registers, regulates, and investigates political parties to ensure compliance with the Political Parties Act, has also been on the spot over political party funding and conduct, particularly on the activities of the Jubilee Alliance Party.

Among the complainants is the Centre for Multi-Party Democracy, which last year petitioned the President to start the appointment process.
The lobby group has in the past accused Ms Ndung’u of not discharging her duties diligently, citing the involvement of politicians elected on TNA and URP tickets in campaigns for the new Jubilee Alliance Party.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has also previously censured the Registrar of Political Parties saying the office has failed to tame parties that condone electoral malpractices. LSK chairman Eric Mutua said the Registrar was unable to take stern action against such parties.

Last year, the National Assembly amended the Political Parties Act and removed provisions that required the President to commence the process of appointment of a new Registrar within a period 110 days prior to the first general elections under the Constitution, or of the occurrence of a vacancy in the Office of Registrar or Assistant Registrar.

MPs also removed a section where the President would be required to make an appointment within seven days of receiving the approval of the National Assembly.

According to Ms Ndungu, her office made the request to Parliament and government last month and forwarded its report on the process of making it independent from IEBC.