Nderitu: No one tells us who to register

IEBC commissioner nominee Anne Nderitu has dismissed claims that the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties is influenced by outsiders, saying the law guides every step of the registration process.

She told the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that she has maintained the independence of the office since she took over in 2018.

"At no point do we consult anybody about how we register a political party or not," she said. The Political Parties Act is very clear which processes and steps to follow," Nderitu added.

She said her office has registered 34 new political parties since 2018 and continues to receive fresh applications.

"Sometimes we are even challenged that we are registering too many political parties," she said.

"But Kenya is a multiparty democracy, and as long as someone meets the legal framework, we must register their party."

Nderitu said her team only deals with those who present themselves for registration.

"You see newspapers publishing political parties that are supposed to be registered, including DCP of the impeached deputy president," she said.

"I don’t know whether it was for him, but we registered with officials who presented themselves."

She defended the office against accusations of bias and said any party that is dissatisfied with a decision can follow the proper appeal process.

"We make decisions. One side may not be happy, especially when people are fighting," she said. "Luckily, there’s an appeal mechanism if someone is not happy with a decision."

Nderitu said her office does not act on pressure or public narratives and that all registrations are guided by law, not politics.

"We are not biased. We have worked beyond reports," she said.

She also declared her net worth as Sh138 million, made up of real estate, vehicles, dairy farming, salary, dividends, and a logistics business.