Kenya’s political parties are heading into what could be one of their most lucrative periods as hundreds, and potentially thousands, of aspirants prepare to pay fees to secure party tickets ahead of the 2027 general election.
With competition for elective positions expected to intensify, parties stand to collect millions of shillings from politicians seeking to fly their flags.
This turns the nomination season into an important source of revenue at a time when parties are also preparing for costly nationwide campaigns and internal elections.
The Democratic for Citizens Party, United Democratic Alliance, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Wiper Patriotic Front, Jubilee and the political outfit that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna ultimately aligns with are among the formations expected to attract large numbers of aspirants.
The attraction is largely because of the perceived strength of their political bases and the belief among candidates that securing a ticket from a popular party can significantly improve their chances of winning the general election.
For many aspirants, particularly those seeking parliamentary and county positions in areas where a party enjoys a strong following, the party primary is increasingly viewed as the real election.
The level of interest, however, is likely to vary considerably from one constituency, county and ward to another, depending on the popularity of individual parties, the strength of incumbents and the number of politicians seeking to challenge them.
Kenya will have 1,882 elective positions up for grabs under the current constitutional structure. They comprise the presidency, 47 governors, 47 senators, 290 National Assembly constituencies, 47 WOMAN REPRESENTATIVE positions and 1,450 MCA seats.
The 1,882 figure was the number of elective positions contested in the 2022 general election, when 16,105 candidates were approved to compete for the seats.
The sheer number of positions means that even relatively modest nomination fees can generate substantial revenue for parties if large numbers of aspirants participate in competitive primaries.
The financial stakes become even clearer when previous nomination charges are considered.
For the 2022 polls, UDA charged male presidential aspirants Sh1 million, while women and youth paid Sh500,000. Male gubernatorial aspirants paid Sh500,000, compared with Sh250,000 for women and youth.
Aspirants seeking the woman representative position paid Sh250,000, while youth paid Sh125,000. Those seeking the Senate and National Assembly seats paid Sh250,000, with women and youth paying Sh125,000.
For MCA positions, UDA charged male aspirants Sh50,000, while women and youth paid Sh25,000.
If similar fees were retained for the 2027 election, the sums could quickly run into hundreds of millions of shillings for parties with nationwide ambitions.
For example, if UDA attracted just five gubernatorial aspirants in every one of the 47 counties and each paid the 2022 male aspirant rate of Sh500,000, the party would collect Sh117.5 million from the governor's race alone.
That figure would rise substantially once aspirants for the Senate, National Assembly, woman representative and MCA positions are factored in.
And that would only represent fees from candidates who actually participate in the nomination process. It would not include other charges that parties may impose, such as registration, membership or administrative fees.
ODM's 2022 charges similarly demonstrate the potential scale of the money involved
Gubernatorial aspirants paid Sh500,000, while those seeking Senate and National Assembly seats paid Sh250,000. Woman representative aspirants paid Sh125,000, while MCA aspirants paid Sh50,000, with a reduced Sh25,000 rate for youth, women and persons with disabilities.
The 2022 experience also demonstrated that parties do not necessarily retain all the money collected from aspirants.
Where negotiations produce consensus candidates, parties can issue direct tickets and refund nomination fees to some candidates.
ODM, for instance, refunded nomination fees in some cases after reaching consensus in particular electoral areas, with party officials acknowledging that the large number of applicants meant the party would have collected millions before some were refunded.
The 2027 nomination season is already taking shape.
The DCP has opened registration for aspirants and unveiled charges ranging from Sh5,000 for MCA aspirants to Sh50,000 for gubernatorial hopefuls. Youth and persons with disabilities are eligible for discounted rates.
Under the DCP structure, those seeking the MCA position pay Sh5,000, while youth and persons with disabilities pay Sh2,500.
Aspirants for the National Assembly, Senate and Woman Representative positions pay Sh10,000, with youth and persons with disabilities paying Sh5,000.
Gubernatorial aspirants pay Sh50,000, while youth and persons with disabilities pay Sh25,000.
The DCP charges are significantly lower than the fees imposed by some parties in the 2022 election, but the party expects to field candidates across the country.
DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has said the party expects its nationwide election and nomination preparations to require about Sh2 billion, with about half of the amount expected to come from nomination fees and the remainder from fundraising.
That estimate illustrates the scale of the financial burden parties expect to face as they prepare for the 2027 election.
It also illustrates why nomination exercises have become an important source of funding for political parties.
DCP has separately promised to make its nomination process competitive and transparent, with Gachagua assuring aspirants that the party will not favour particular candidates.
Nyandarua Senator John Methu recently said the party would not manipulate the process in favour of particular candidates.
“Our DCP nominations will be free, fair and credible. Rigathi Gachagua is our presidential candidate.”
The Kenya Kwanza side has similarly promised a competitive process.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has assured aspirants that the coalition's nomination process will be open and transparent, with no individual barred from participating.
“Clear rules are set to ensure the democratic will of the members is respected across constituent regions,” Mudavadi said.
But nomination fees are only one part of the financial equation.
Political parties will have to organise primaries across thousands of wards and constituencies, deploy election officials, print ballot papers, hire venues, provide security and establish dispute-resolution mechanisms.
The cost of conducting a nationwide primary exercise can therefore be substantial.
This is one of the arguments parties have historically advanced for charging aspirants.
Yet the fees have also generated criticism because they can make political competition more expensive and potentially disadvantage candidates without substantial financial resources.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has previously raised concerns over the varying nomination charges imposed by political parties.
In its publication Electoral Law Reform in Kenya: The IEBC Experience, the agency said that political parties had varying nomination fees, with “some charges reaching five times the amount envisioned and set by the commission.”
The IEBC warned that such fees were likely to lock out youth and other marginalised groups who could not afford the high charges.
The concern is particularly important given that the constitution seeks to promote representation of women, youth and persons with disabilities in elective politics.
The electoral agency said its own differentiation of nomination fees according to age, gender and disability was intended to encourage diversity and representation of marginalised groups and promote the two-thirds gender principle.
The debate over expensive nominations is not new.
In 2012, then Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua and Gema/GNU political leader Mwangi Kiunjuri opposed a proposed Sh500,000 nomination fee for women seeking the county women representative position.
The issue reached Parliament, where lawmakers argued that high nomination fees could make political participation the preserve of wealthy Kenyans.
Former Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale, now the Kakamega senator, similarly warned against allowing political contests to become the preserve of the wealthy.
“We cannot allow the presidential election to be the preserve of millionaires and billionaires of Kenya.”
The concerns remain relevant as parties prepare for another expensive election cycle.
But not all aspirants who pay will necessarily face a primary.
Parties can issue direct nomination tickets to preferred candidates for a variety of reasons.
An incumbent may be given a direct ticket because of previous electoral performance. A party may favour a candidate considered popular or capable of defeating an opponent. Parties may also negotiate positions as part of coalition arrangements or use consensus to prevent divisive primaries.
ODM leaders have also sought to reassure members that the party will conduct credible nominations.
National chairperson Gladys Wanga has said: “All aspirants will face a level playing field during the nomination process.”
Party leader Oburu Oginga has similarly promised that the process will not be characterised by undue favouritism.
The credibility of these promises will be tested when the parties begin selecting their candidates.
The nomination window will then run from May 29 to June11 next year.
Once nominations are done, any disputes arising from the process must be resolved within 10 days, with such disputes lodged no later than June 12next year.
By July27 next year political parties and independent candidates must have submitted the names of their national, county, constituency and polling station agents.
