Registrar of Political Parties on the spot for ‘declining’ to register Gen-Z Party

By Peter Ochieng

The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORRP) has been accused of refusing to register Gen-Z Political Party.

As such, a petition has been filed before the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT), seeking to compel the Registrar, Ann Nderitu to register ‘The Gen-Z Party,’ as an official political entity.

"The learned registrar misdirected herself by not providing the appellant with her interpretation of the name The Gen-Z Party before her refusal to reserve the name. She only states that the name does not promote inclusivity. The name could be given a plethora of interpretations including and not limited to Generation Zote, Generation Zion, General Zod, Gender Z, General Zeus, amongst others," argues petitioner, James Ogega.

According to him, he made the application after the Registrar of Political Parties rejected his request to reserve and register the name, as stipulated by Section 4B of the Political Parties Act, despite having paid the requisite fees.

"Three weeks after (making the application), the appellant received a call on July 16, 2024, by an officer of the respondent that there was a letter from the Registrar of Political Parties for his collection. He picked the letter on the 18th July 2024,” petition papers read in part. 

“The letter dated 11th July, 2024 stated that the name 'The Gen Z Party' had been rejected for allegedly not promoting inclusivity against the principle enshrined in Article 91 (1) (a) (e) of the Constitution."

He argues that the decision goes against the principles enshrined in the constitution, particularly in Articles 10, 20(2), 31(3), 27(4), 28, 36, 38 and 232.

"At the same time, the Registrar of Political Party erred in concluding that the name Gen-Z does not promote inclusivity being that there are steps to be complied with in accordance with Section 5, 6 and 7 of the Political Parties Act before the full Registration of a Political Party."

He wants the Tribunal to issue an order directing the Registrar of Political Parties to issue a letter, to the effect that ‘The Gen-Z Party’ is duly reserved as at June 24, 2024.

Gen-Z has gained popularity in the last few weeks, with demonstrations against President William Ruto’s administration being spearheaded by youthful Kenyans categorised as Gen-Z and millennials.