POLITICAL PARTIES FACE KS 600,000 FEE REGISTRATION FEE

By LUCAS BARASA
September 4 2008
Daily Nation

Major political parties, whose names and symbols look alike, could be forced to change them or disband. Parties have just about four months to comply with the rules, including opening branches in all 210 constituencies. New law spells doom for “briefcase” parties registered just before 2007 General Election, but failed to field candidates.

Tough new rules for political parties include a registration fee of Sh600,000, it was announced on Thursday.

In addition, major political parties, whose names and symbols look alike, could be forced to change them or disband.

The rules, which affect all 300 political parties in Kenya, have been introduced by the Electoral Commission of Kenya.

From now on, parties such as Narc and Narc Kenya; Ford Asili, Asili Saba Saba, Ford Kenya, New Ford Kenya and Ford People; ODM and ODM Kenya and Kanu and New Kanu; might end up fighting to retain their identities when the rules come into force.

These are the parties that initially started as one strong entity but later split due to disagreement between leaders who still wanted to retain the brand name.

Object of hate

The Political Parties Bill, which became law in July, empowered the Electoral Commission, which has become a hate object for political parties since the presidential elections last year, to make rules and regulations for political parties.

Parties now have just about four months to comply with the rules, including opening branches in all 210 constituencies.

Attempts by President Kibaki to reorganise his Party of National Unity into one strong entity have been opposed by affiliate parties Narc-K, Ford Kenya and Democratic Party of Kenya.

The new registration fee, which was published in a special issue of the Kenya Gazette, Supplement Number 62, has elicited strong opposition from more than 100 political parties, which have described them as exorbitant and meant to stop them from operation.

The parties have called a meeting in Nairobi today to formally denounce the new requirements and chart a way forward.

According to the legal notice obtained by the Nation, political parties are supposed to pay Sh100,000 for application for provisional registration and Sh500,000 for full registration.

In case of official searches, the parties have to part with Sh500 while application for a copy of any certificate or filed document or for a certified extract from the register will cost Sh10 per page.

ECK chairman Samuel Kivuitu published the rules as per Section 43 of the Political Parties Act.

The section empowers the commission boss to prescribe the fees but does not specify the amount.

Winding up

The section also deals with the manner of registration of parties, use, change of names, income, expenditure, the rate and manner in which funding may be granted, and winding up of a party.

On Thursday, 78 non-parliamentary parties took issue with the new requirements and questioned criteria used by ECK to come up with the Sh600,000 fee.