NLP eyes Ukambani gains as rivals face deregistration threat

The National Liberal Party of Kenya leader Dr Augustus Muli at a past function/HANDOUT

The National Liberal Party of Kenya (NLP) is positioning itself to capture a larger foothold in the Ukambani political landscape, seizing what it sees as a strategic opening created by mounting regulatory pressure on established rivals.

Party strategists say the moment presents a rare opportunity to entrench grassroots networks and present the NLP as a credible alternative in a region long dominated by political heavyweights. 

The shift comes amid increasing scrutiny of several parties over compliance with constitutional requirements governing national political organizations.

At the center of the unfolding storm are the Wiper Patriotic Front, associated with Kalonzo Musyoka, and the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), founded by Charity Ngilu. 

Both parties now face the possibility of deregistration after auditors flagged them for failing to meet legal standards requiring political parties to maintain a demonstrable national presence beyond their traditional strongholds.

A recent audit by Office of the Auditor-General of Kenya, led by Nancy Gathungu, revealed major compliance gaps. 

According to the report, several political parties have not established functional offices across the country’s 47 counties and were unable to show evidence of sustained political activity outside their base regions.

Wiper and NARC were singled out for lacking sufficient county structures, raising questions about their ability to project a truly national outlook as required under the law. 

The audit found that both parties had failed to maintain operational offices in at least 24 counties, the minimum threshold needed to qualify as a national political outfit.

The scrutiny extended beyond the two Ukambani-linked parties. The United Democratic Party (Kenya) and the Mabadiliko Party of Kenya were also cited for similar shortcomings.

In several regions, auditors found no physical party offices, while in others the organisations could not demonstrate sustained political engagement with members or communities.

Under Kenyan law, a registered political party must maintain offices and active operations in more than half of the country’s counties to retain national status. 

Failure to meet these criteria could place the affected parties at risk of being struck off the register maintained by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

Political analysts say the findings could prompt heightened oversight and possible enforcement action by the registrar, a move that could significantly reshape the competitive political balance in Ukambani and potentially across the country.

Against this backdrop, the NLP has moved quickly to signal its intent to expand its presence in the region.

The party, led by Dr Augustus Muli, has outlined plans to strengthen its organisational structures in Ukambani while accelerating nationwide recruitment efforts.

In recent months, the party says it has established more than 25 county offices across Kenya as part of a broader expansion strategy aimed at positioning itself ahead of the next electoral cycle.

“Our focus is on building a truly national party with strong grassroots networks, and the developments we are seeing only reinforce the urgency of offering Kenyans a credible alternative,” said Dr Muli.

NLP officials claim the recruitment drive has helped to significantly grow the party’s membership.