Tana River Senator Dr. Danson Mungatana is pushing for an overhaul of Kenya’s political party registration framework, arguing that political space should operate much like a free-market economy to foster genuine competition and deepen democracy.
Speaking on political reforms, Mungatana noted that registering a political entity in Kenya should be as straightforward as opening a business. Under his proposed vision, any citizen who meets basic statutory criteria should be allowed to form a party and present their ideas directly to the electorate without facing artificial institutional hurdles.
“Our nation is a free market economy. If you want to register a company, you can easily register and go and compete in the market economy,” Mungatana said, emphasizing that political organizations should similarly survive or fail based on public support rather than administrative barriers.
To demonstrate how a streamlined system works in practice, Mungatana highlighted the United Kingdom’s party registration process, where citizens can register a political party online within hours for an application fee equivalent to roughly KSh 27,000.
Under the UK framework, applicants must fulfill basic administrative requirements, such as providing a party name, details of three official party leaders, an official address, and a written constitution. They must also formally commit to fielding candidates in upcoming general elections and agree to comply with strict financial declaration rules.
Mungatana noted that adopting similar mechanisms in Kenya would inject fresh political ideas into the national discourse, giving voters a richer selection of leadership choices during general elections.
Beyond the registration process, the senator turned his attention to internal party governance, challenging political formations to earn member loyalty through good leadership rather than legal coercion or restrictive regulations.
He urged established parties to focus on building robust internal democracy, respecting diverse views, and engaging members meaningfully.
“Even if elected on one party, that party should continue to treat its elected leaders and members so well that they will not want to go elsewhere,” Mungatana said.
Ultimately, Mungatana maintained that the power to decide which parties survive should rest entirely with Kenyan voters in a fair, open political marketplace.
