Five parties exit Azimio coalition - Registrar of Political Parties

The Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has confirmed that five political parties have officially left the Azimio la Umoja coalition following the 2022 general elections.

According to an updated list released on Wednesday, of registered parties and their respective coalitions, the five parties severed ties with Azimio between February 2023 and December 2024.

The parties that have left the coalition include the People's Liberation Party (formerly Narc Kenya), Maendeleo Chap Chap party, United Democratic Movement (UDM), Devolution Empowerment Party, and Pamoja African Alliance (PAA).

The new development follows a high court ruling that ordered the ORPP to publicly release the status of political parties after a petition was filed by concerned citizens.

This change comes shortly after a significant court ruling regarding the majority party in Parliament.

A three-judge bench at the High Court, consisting of Justices John Chigiti, Jairus Ngaah, and Lawrence Mugambi, declared that Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance was the legitimate majority alliance in the National Assembly.

In its ruling, the court criticised Speaker Moses Wetang'ula's decision to assign the 14 MPs who had resigned from Azimio to the Kenya Kwanza alliance. These 14 MPs came from four parties: United Democratic Movement (UDM), Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG), Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC), and Pamoja African Alliance (PAA).

Despite the court ruling, the ORPP's recent notice reveals that these four parties, along with others that have left Azimio, are not currently aligned with any coalition, though they have working arrangements with the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

Additionally, the ORPP lists 47 political parties that have no coalition affiliation and no representation in the National Assembly.

The confusion over the majority party in Parliament continued on February 12, when Speaker Wetang'ula ruled that Kenya Kwanza remains the majority party.

This ruling followed a heated debate over who holds the majority and minority offices in the National Assembly.

Azimio members had occupied seating areas designated for the majority party, expecting the court's ruling to prevail.

However, Wetang'ula confirmed that Azimio holds 154 seats, while Kenya Kwanza controls 165 seats, maintaining Kenya Kwanza's position as the majority party in the August House.

"Arising from the foregoing, the Kenya Kwanza is the majority and the Azimio is the minority. The Leadership of the House remains unchanged," Wetang'ula stated, adding that the court had not declared any party as the majority or minority.

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