The membership register of political parties is accessible to members of public in line with Section 34(d) of the Political Parties Act, 2011, Data Protection Act, 2019 and Access to information Act, 2016. Applicants are granted request upon meeting set out requirements for membership status.

 Options of confirming membership status

(i) Manual process

Submit the request in writing to the Registrar of Political Parties, detailing your name in full and your passport and/or national identification number and a copy of the registration document.

The Registrar will provide your membership registration details within the timelines indicated in the service charter.

(ii) Walk-in Clients

A member of public can also check the membership status by visiting any of the offices including the county offices and present an original copy of the registration document (National ID/Passport).

The membership registration status will be provided immediately.

(iii) Mobile Service

A member of public can use a mobile platform to check the party he is registered as a member. The Office has a USSD code, which can be accessed by dialing *509# from the two leading mobile network operators.

This is a free service and the user is not required to pay any additional fee besides the normal subscriber fee (currently 1KES).

(iv) Online Service

The membership status of an individual can be accessed on the political parties management information system established by the Registrar as well as through the Government digital portal.

Accessing the service through this channel is free and a user does not incur any additional fee besides the normal internet charge.

Link to the online portal

Political parties are required to recruit members across the country who reflect regional and ethnic diversity, gender balance and representation of Special Interest Groups. The ORPP doesn’t not recruit political parties members.

The recruitment is a continuous process therefore, recruiting political party must keep and continuously update its  membership register to ensure it meets a minimum of a thousand  (1000) members in at least twenty four (24) counties. Recruitment of a party member can be done manually or electronically.

The following are avenues for recruitment of members by political parties.

(i) Manual Recruitment Process

To join a political party of choice through the manual process, a person is required to fill a prescribed form and attach a copy of either the passport or national identification card. The political party is then required to review the application form and confirm correctness of the details provided and issue the new member with a membership card.

The party is then required to update the register, which is maintained by the Registrar of Political Parties through the Integrated Political Parties Management Information System (IPPMS). Upon receiving this record, the Registrar with verify and validate the information provided and then send a consenting message to the recruited person to seek consent in line with the Data Protection Act, 2019.

A person becomes a member of the party upon giving consent.

• Guidelines for manual recruitment of member to join a political party

(ii) Mobile Recruitment Process

A member of public can use a mobile platform to join a political party of choice using the USSD code that the Registrar has established.

This is a free service and it can be accessed by dialing *509# , currently on two mobile network operators. The person initiating the process is not required to pay any additional fee besides the normal subscriber fee (currently 1KES). However, the applicant may be required to pay a membership fee to the party in line with the party’s constitution. 

The recruiting party is then required to approve the applications made through the digital platforms before the membership register of the party is updated.

(iii) Online Recruitment Service

A member of the public can join a political party of choice through information management system established by the Registrar as well as the Government digital portal; eCitizen.

This is a free service and the person accessing the service is not required to pay any additional fee besides the normal internet charge. However, the applicant may be required to pay a membership fee to the party in line with the party’s constitution.

Link to the online portal

A member of a political party who intends to resign from the political party is required to give a written notice prior to his resignation to the political party, the Clerk of the relevant house of Parliament, if the member is a Member of Parliament or the Clerk of a County Assembly, if the Member is a member of a county assembly.

The political party of which the person is a member, the member, or the Clerk of the relevant House of Parliament or of a County Assembly of which the person is a member shall notify the Registrar of such resignation within seven days of the resignation.

Upon receiving the notification, the Registrar is required to cause the name of such member to be removed from the membership register of that political party.

The following are the ways resigning from a political party as a member.

(i) Manual Resignation Process

Submit a copy of the resignation notice to the Registrar of Political Parties, providing sufficient evidence that the party has been served and a copy of the valid passport or national ID card.

The Registrar will verify the application and action it within the timelines indicated in the service charter.

(ii) Mobile Resignation Service

A member of public can use the established mobile platform to resign from a political party that he is registered as a member should he feel the need to do so. This can be achieved using the established USSD code, which can be accessed by dialing *509# , currently available on two mobile network operators.

This is a free service and the user is not required to pay any additional fee besides the normal subscriber fee (currently 1KES).

(iii) Online Resignation Service

A person may choose to resign from a political party where he is registered as a member of a political party should he feel the need to so or if registered erroneously or without consent. This service can be accessed on the Political Parties Management Information System established by the Registrar as well as through the Government digital portal; eCitizen.

Accessing the service through this channel is free and a user does not incur any additional fee besides the normal internet charge. 

Link to the online portal