Political parties hit by funding crunch as Treasury delays disbursements

The country’s biting financial crisis has hit political parties hard, with the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) confirming that only first-quarter funds have been released as the Treasury struggles to raise more money.

Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorlionokou said the disbursement of funds for the remaining quarters had been delayed due to the Treasury’s constrained cash flow, forcing political parties to seek alternative means of survival.

“We have only disbursed funding for the first quarter, and political parties will have to wait as we seek more funding from the Treasury due to the current harsh economic times,” Lorlionokou said.

He was addressing the press in Naivasha during a training session for over 90 political parties on internal dispute resolution mechanisms.

Lorlionokou urged political parties to explore alternative resource mobilisation strategies to sustain their internal operations and uphold democratic principles despite the delay in funding.

“Due to inadequate funding from the exchequer, we have only disbursed funding to political parties for the first quarter, and parties must find alternative means of mobilisation to seal the gap,” he said.

He further appealed to parties to embrace dialogue and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve internal conflicts amicably, noting that this would enhance their stability and credibility.

According to the Political Parties Act, parties with the highest number of elected representatives receive the largest share of the Political Parties Fund, while smaller parties with no representation in elective offices often miss out on the allocations.

Currently, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Jubilee, and Wiper parties are among the biggest beneficiaries of the fund.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has protested the delay, saying the continued withholding of allocations could hurt its preparations for the upcoming by-elections.

Lorlionokou also said the ORPP had ensured that the registration of new political parties adheres to principles of equal representation, including gender balance. He added that the Naivasha training aims to build the capacity of all political outfits ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Michael Ager, the Secretary of the Internal Dispute Resolutions Committee for the Labour Party, said the funding shortfall had significantly affected their operations.

“The lack of funding from the exchequer has affected our operations,” Ager said, welcoming the use of alternative dispute resolution instead of court processes, which he noted were time-consuming and resource draining.

The ORPP maintained that it would continue engaging the Treasury to ensure the timely release of the remaining funds even as the country navigates the current economic hardships.

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