Political parties have until October to submit their nomination rules to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) as preparations for the 2027 General Election gather pace.
Registrar of Political Parties John Lorionokou said parties will be allowed to submit their election and nomination rules from September 28, with the deadline set for October 16, 2026.
The Registrar will then certify the rules by October 30 before parties submit them to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) by November 6.
Parties are also required to submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorised officials to the Registrar between October 7 and October 15.
These were released in a communiqué to political parties after the gazette notice of the IEBC that August 10, 2027 would be the date for the next General Elections.
The ORPP has equally given a deadline for parties to update their membership lists. This will be done between March 16 and March 23, 2027, while the Registrar will be expected to certify the lists by March 23.
Political parties intending to carry out nominations will have to inform the Registrar of the mode they will adopt ten days prior to the date of nomination.
They will have to give information regarding the date of nomination, place of nomination, and the names of the nominees 14 days prior to the event.
The parties must also publish the dates and venues of their nominations on their official websites at least seven days before the exercise.
The ORPP has set separate deadlines for political coalitions.
Parties planning to form a coalition political party will have until April 12, 2027, to submit their coalition agreement to the Registrar.
Those forming pre-election coalitions will have until May 9, 2027, to submit their agreements for confirmation.
Independent candidates have also been given a deadline. Aspirants intending to run as independents must resign from their political parties by May 8, 2027.
Between March 23 and May 8, the Registrar will also oversee the submission and certification of symbols for independent candidates and confirm that the aspirants are not members of political parties.
The timelines come as political parties step up preparations for the 2027 elections, with parties also working on alliances and coalitions ahead of the polls.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has already confirmed its broad-based arrangement with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), while opposition parties are exploring their own coalition ahead of the presidential contest.
