This archive report was first published on 30 December 2021.
On December 30, 2021, a late-night sitting of the Kenyan Parliament saw 102 Members of Parliament (MPs) vote in favor of a proposal in the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which grants the Registrar of Political Parties the authority to decline registration of a slogan if deemed against public interest or national security.
Only 15 MPs opposed the clause, while a section of MPs, mainly allied to Deputy President William Ruto, walked out of the debating chamber despite the voting being underway.
Majority Leader Amos Kimunya, the sponsor of the Amendment Bill, explained that the objective of the Bill is to expand powers that the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties already has in determining whether a party name or symbol/slogan is obscene, offensive, or similar to that of another party.
However, Kandara MP Alice Wahome had earlier attempted to delete the clause, but her motion was shot down after 148 MPs voted against it, while 126 voted in favor.
Wahome argued that the clause posed a restriction to all political parties to have a slogan, citing examples such as 'tibim-tialala,' 'hustler,' and 'kazi ni kazi.'
