50+ Political Parties in Kenya: A Comprehensive List

Kenya as an independent country has enjoyed some level of peace and stability politically until recently. The country has been a multi-party democracy in law before independence and remained so until 1982 when Section 2A was enacted, making the country a one-party State.

Kenya gained independence on December 12, 1963. This was after it was subjected for 43 years, under the British rule. Following her independence, Kenya had one political party – the Kenya African National Union (KANU), which was later joined by the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU). The Kenya People’s Union (KPU) was later founded in 1966 by Raila Odinga‘s father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, in a bid to challenge the domination of KANU. The party was however, banned after three years, in October 1969.

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Subsequently, in the year 1991, six opposition leaders, including then ex-vice president Oginga Odinga, came together to form the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD). However, the party was shortly declared illegal by then President Moi. It was an uproar which followed the arrests of supporters and sympathizers of the party that eventually led to the legalization of opposition parties in December 1991; with Moi and KANU manning the legislative process. However, ensuing political squabbles later caused the splitting of the FORD party into other political parties as the years went by.

Following these developments, the multi-party system has been in effect since 1992, with one of the ruling coalitions consisting of several parties. A significant growth of parties was continually recorded during the 1990s, with some of the parties established then still continuing up till year 2000. Apart from the KPU, there were no other parties formed after 1962 that terminated before 2000. However, the multi-party system in Kenya started experiencing a noticeable decline in recent times, leaving only a few of them viable and vibrant.

Currently, Kenya’s political system is something that could be practically regarded as a two-party, since two major political parties in the country c.q. coalitions have dominated since the 2007 general elections.

As of 2007, there were more than 160 registered political parties in Kenya. However with the implementation of several Political Parties Acts which came on the 31 December 2008 act, the number was drastically reduced and on 30 April 2012, twenty-four political parties were issued registration certificates while 22 others had applied for registration. 

To keep you updated on the current state of Kenya’s multi-party system, we decided to come up with a complete list of all the political parties in Kenya; so glance below to see a comprehensive list of Kenya Political Parties both registered and yet to be registered.

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A Comprehensive List of Registered Political Parties in Kenya

Below are political parties in Kenya that have registration certificates:

1. Agano Party (AP)
2. Alliance for Real Change
3. Alliance Party of Kenya (APK)
4. Chama Cha Mwananchi (CCM)
5. Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU)
6. Conservative Party (CP)
7. Democratic Party of Kenya (DP)
8. Farmers Party (FP)
9. Federal Party of Kenya (MDM)
10. Ford-People (FORD-P)
11. Forum For Restoration of Democracy-Kenya (FORD-KENYA)
12. Grand National Union (GNU)
13. Kenya African Democratic Union-Asili (KADU-ASIL)
14. Kenya African National Union (KANU)
15. Kenya National Congress (KNC)
16. Kenya Social Congress (KSC)
17. Maendeleo Democratic Party (MDP)
18. Mazingira Greens Party of Kenya (MGPK)
19. Mkenya Solidarity Movement (MSM)
20. Muungano Development Movement Party of Kenya (MP)
21. Mwangaza Party (MP)
22. NARC-Kenya (NARC-K)
23. National Agenda Party of Kenya (NAPK)
24. National Democratic Movement (NDM)
25. National Labour Party (NLP)
26. National Party of Kenya (FPK)
27. National Rainbow Coalition (NARC)
28. The National Vision Party (NVP)
29. New Democrats (ND)
30. New Ford Kenya (NFK)
31. Nuru Party
32. Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
33. Party of Action (POA)
34. Party of Democratic Unity (PDU)
35. Party of Independent Candidates of Kenya (PICK)
36. Party of National Unity (PNU)
37. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
38. Peoples Party of Kenya (PPK)
39. Progressive Party of Kenya (PPK)
40. Restore and Build Kenya (RBK)
41. Saba Saba Asili (77)
42. Safina Party (SAFINA)
43. Shirikisho Party of Kenya (SPK)
44. Sisi Kwa Sisi Party (SSP)
45. Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP)
46. The Independent Party (TIP) * The Labour Party of Kenya (LPK)
47. The National Alliance (TNA)
48. United Democratic Forum Party (UDFP)
49. United Democratic Movement (UDM)
50. United Republican Party (URP)
51. Unity Party of Kenya (UPK)
52. Wiper Democratic Movement- Kenya (WDM-K) 

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Kenya Political Parties still Awaiting Certificates

1. Party of Hope
2. The Democratic Union for Change (D.U.C)
3. National Super Alliance
4. Maendeleo Party
5. Thirdway Alliance Party of Kenya
6. Kenya Diaspora Pro-Democracy Movement (KDPM)
7. Chama Cha Masilahi Ya Wakenya