Funding of political parties in Kenya -Amount each party gets

The Constitution of Kenya 2010, provides for management of political parties. The new provisions were actualized through the enactment of the Political Parties Act, 2011.

The Act provides an effective management of political parties, including the Political Parties Fund.

The Fund is administered by the Registrar of Political Parties.

The Act has provisions on political parties funding and accounting to ensure that funds are used prudently.

Main source of the political parties Fund is the National Government (0.3 % of National Revenue). Other sources include: membership subscription fee, contributions and donations.

Benefits of Public Funding

1. Public funding can limit the influence of interested money, thereby help curb corruption.
2. With public funding comes in level playing field.

Qualification & Distribution of the Fund

A political party is not entitled to funding if;

1) The party does not secure at least three percent of the total number of votes at the preceding General Elections.

2) More than two thirds of its registered office bearers are of the same gender.

3)      the party does not have;

a) twenty elected members of the National Assembly;

b) three elected members of the senate;

c) three elected members who are Governors; and

d) forty members of County Assemblies.

Criteria for distribution of Fund

The Act provides that;

• 80% (eighty per cent) of the Fund is distributed proportionately by reference to the total number of votes secured by each political party in the preceding general election.

• 15% (fifteen percent) of the Fund proportionately to political parties  qualified above, based on the number of candidates of the party from special interest groups elected in the preceding general election.

• The  5% (five percent) of the fund is utilized by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties for the administration expenses of the Fund.

Purpose of the fund

a) promoting the representation in Parliament and in the county assemblies of women, persons with disabilities, youth, ethnic and other minorities and marginalized communities, which shall not be less than 30% (thirty per cent ) of the moneys received;

b) promoting active participation by individual citizens in political life;

c) covering the election expenses of the political party and the broadcasting of the policies;

d) civic education in democracy and other electoral processes;

e) bringing the political party’s influence to bear on the shaping of public opinion.

Audit of the funds

• All political parties, whether they receive the Fund or not, are required to have their books audited by the Auditor General.

• The audit report is then submitted to the Registrar and tabled in the National Assembly.

Download a summary of disbursed funds

Download Financial Statements for Political Parties