The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has confirmed the number of political parties that have officially left the Azimio la Umoja coalition following the 2022 general elections.
According to an updated list of registered parties and their respective coalitions, published on Wednesday, February 26, the ORPP confirmed that five parties severed ties with Azimio between February 2023 and December 2024.
The parties that have exited the coalition include Martha Karua’s Narc Kenya, which has since rebranded to the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), Maendeleo Chap Chap Party (MCCP), United Democratic Movement (UDM), Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), and Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP).
Despite the court ruling, the ORPP’s notice reveals that these parties, along with others that have left Azimio, are not currently aligned with any coalition, though some have working arrangements with the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
As of February 26, parties in the Azimio coalition include Jubilee, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the Wiper Democratic Movement, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), the Muungano Party, the Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K), the Party of National Unity (PNU), and the Labour Party of Kenya, among 12 others.
The Kenya Kwanza Alliance, on the other hand, consists of 18 parties, 11 of which were constituent members pursuant to a pre-election coalition agreement.
Also Read: Court Rules Azimio is the Rightful Majority Party- Here are the Challenges Ahead
Additionally, the ORPP listed 47 political parties with no coalition affiliation and no representation in the National Assembly.
List of parties that have ditched Azimio published after court ruling
The political parties list published by the Registrar of Political Parties follows a ruling by the High Court of Kenya, which ordered the registrar to publicly release the status of political parties after a petition was filed by concerned citizens.
The changes within the Azimio coalition, as highlighted by the ORPP, also come after a court ruling on the majority party in the National Assembly.
A three-judge High Court bench, consisting of Justices Lawrence Mugambi, John Chigiti, and Jairus Ngaah, declared that the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance was the legitimate majority alliance in the National Assembly.
In its ruling, the court found that the Speaker Moses Wetang’ula‘s decision to assign 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) who had resigned from Azimio to the Kenya Kwanza Alliance was unconstitutional. It noted that there was no evidence to support claims that five political parties had formally left Azimio to join Kenya Kwanza by signing the necessary post-election agreements.
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The 14 MPs came from UDM, the Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG), Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM), MCCP, and PAA.
According to the ORPP, CCM has since joined Kenya Kwanza pursuant to a post-election coalition agreement.
“By assigning the 14 MPs from MDG, UDM, PAA, CCM, and MCCP to Kenya Kwanza Alliance without evidence of post-election agreements or justification and declaring Kenya Kwanza Alliance as Majority, the Speaker acted arbitrarily and violated Article 101 of the Constitution,” the ruling stated.
Wetang’ula rules on Majority Stalemate
Consequently, the court quashed Speaker Wetang’ula’s ruling dated October 6, 2022, which had declared the Kenya Kwanza Alliance the majority party and Azimio the minority. The judges ruled that the decision was null and void.
However, Wetang’ula later announced that the majority and minority parties in the House would remain unchanged.
While delivering his decision on February 12, the Speaker noted that Azimio had 154 members, while Kenya Kwanza had 165 members.
Therefore, he maintained that the Kenya Kwanza Alliance remained the majority party in the National Assembly.
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