The ORPP, 19th June, 2025 appeared before the Senate’s Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights (JLAC) to present its state of preparedness and priority legal reforms in anticipation of the 2027 general election.
Leading the ORPP delegation, Assistant Registrar, Ali Abdullahi emphasized the need for a holistic re-evaluation of the political parties’ regulatory framework, anchored in the Political Parties Act, Cap 7D.
“There is need to rethink the regulation of political parties through re-imagining measures that would strengthen the ORPP to execute its mandate effectively”, Ali stated.
He outlined a raft of proposed reforms including: Enhanced inclusivity within political party leadership and governance structures; digitization of ORPP systems and services to improve transparency, efficiency, and accessibility; regulation of coalition political parties, particularly on registration, operations, and accountability; clarification of indirect nominations, to ensure transparency and fairness in party primaries; review of the Political Parties Fund to promote equitable distribution and enhance accountability; strengthening of internal and external party dispute resolution mechanisms; promotion of intra-party democracy, especially in leadership selection and decision-making among others.
The ORPP also acknowledged the active role of key stakeholders, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), Uchaguzi Platform, and other civil society actors for their valuable proposals and continued collaboration in the reform discourse.
The JLAC Chairperson, Senator Hillary Segei reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to facilitating meaningful electoral reforms. He emphasized the need for systematic tracking and harmonization of stakeholder proposals, and encouraged sustained engagement to ensure comprehensive, timely, and people-centered amendments. The forum formed part of ORPP series of consultative engagements aimed at aligning the PPA to expected legal thresholds and lessons learnt.