Jubilee Party and Kanu are among a group of political parties whose future in Kenya’s electoral politics could be affected after an audit found they had not maintained the minimum number of county offices required under the law.
The parties were expected to have physical offices in at least 24 of the country’s 47 counties, but checks by the Auditor-General found that a number of them had far fewer offices than the required threshold.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu raised the concerns in her audit reports covering political parties that received money through the Exchequer during the 2024/25 financial year.
The findings show that some parties presented records indicating that they had branches in the required number of counties. However, visits carried out by auditors found that the offices listed in their submissions were either not operating or could not be confirmed.
The issue is important because Section 7(2) (f)(iii) of the Political Parties Act (PPA) requires a provisionally registered party seeking full registration to provide the locations and addresses of its branch offices in more than half of Kenya’s counties.
With 47 counties in the country, political parties are required to have offices in at least 24 counties to satisfy the condition.
The audit has therefore placed several parties under scrutiny over whether they have met the conditions required for them to remain registered and take part in the 2027 General Election.
Among the parties that auditors found to have met the requirement were President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), ODM, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF), Federal Party of Kenya (FPK) and the People’s Liberation Party associated with former Gichugu MP Martha Karua.
Jubilee, however, had a much smaller physical presence than the records it had previously maintained. The party had two operational offices in Nairobi, while eight offices located in other counties had shut down.
This was a drop from earlier records that showed Jubilee operating 10 offices in 10 counties.
Kanu also fell well short of the required number. The party, led by former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, had five county offices, even though it had submitted information indicating that it had branches in 24 counties.
The party was unable to provide documents supporting the existence of the offices listed in its submission.
"Although the party submitted a list indicating branch offices in 24 counties, no supporting documentary evidence was provided to verify the existence of the offices," Ms Gathungu said.
The audit also examined the amount of money received by the parties during the period.
Kanu recorded Sh29.03 million in revenue in the 2024/25 financial year, compared with Sh21.24 million in 2023/24. The Political Parties Fund (PPF) and personal contributions were among its sources of income.
Ford Kenya was another party found to have a major gap between its records and the offices that were physically operating.
The party, led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, had just one operational office in Nairobi despite submitting a list showing branches in 34 counties.
Ford Kenya received Sh25.03 million from the PPF during the year under review, compared with Sh13.22 million in the previous financial year.
Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), associated with Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, had eight operational offices in eight counties.
Its revenue stood at Sh5.9 million in 2024/25, compared with Sh5.8 million in 2023/24.
DAP Kenya, associated with former Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa, also had only one operational office in Nairobi.
The party had submitted information showing branches in 24 counties, but the audit found that only the Nairobi office was operational.
DAP Kenya’s revenue increased from Sh16.2 million in 2023/24 to Sh30.62 million in 2024/25.
Maendeleo Chap Chap, associated with former Machakos governor Alfred Mutua, had four county offices.
Like Kanu and DAP Kenya, the party had submitted a list showing branches in 24 counties. Auditors, however, found no documents to confirm the existence of the offices listed.
Other parties named in the audit were Democratio Action Party (DAP) Kenya, Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA), alongside Ford Kenya and PAA.
The findings also raise questions about how political parties use public funds meant to support their activities, particularly where the money is expected to help them maintain structures across the country.
The parties that were found to have complied included UDA, ODM, WPF, FPK and the People’s Liberation Party.
The audit findings come as political parties prepare for the 2027 General Election, with the requirement for a physical presence in more than half of the counties remaining a key condition under the Political Parties Act.