NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 3 — The National Liberal Party (NLP), a founding member of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, has petitioned the Registrar of Political Parties seeking clarity on the coalition’s legal status, registered membership, leadership structure, and finances.
The letter, authored by the Augustus Muli-led party, comes amid growing uncertainty within Azimio following internal realignments and the resignation on Tuesday of its Executive Director, Raphael Tuju.
Muli accused some constituent parties of hoarding coalition-linked funds at the expense of smaller partners, warning that the practice risks weakening and deregistering less resourced parties.
“As parties languish and face deregistration because of the cost of recruitment and running offices, some partner parties are hoarding millions of shillings in banks courtesy of our coalition,” Muli said on Tuesday.
He also questioned Azimio’s operational relevance, arguing that the coalition has been largely inactive and paralysed by internal power struggles.
“Azimio’s last meaningful engagement was last year during the selection of the IEBC panel, where an election produced a winner the leadership did not want. That dispute cost the country eight months in court,” Muli said.
Muli further claimed the coalition currently lacks functional leadership and administrative structures.
“As Azimio currently stands, it does not have clear officials or offices,” he said.
According to Muli, internal resistance to democratic processes has stalled efforts to reorganise the coalition.
“The current officials are scared of holding elections because they fear that smaller parties, by virtue of their numbers, might actually take over leadership positions,” he added.
NLP Secretary General Omondi Koyoo said Azimio—formed under amendments to the Political Parties Act that allow for coalition political parties—must now demonstrate transparency, accountability, and compliance with the law.
“Coalitions are living agreements, not tombstones,” Koyoo said, arguing that Azimio must evolve in line with democratic choice and statutory requirements.
At its formation ahead of the 2022 General Election, Azimio brought together 26 registered political parties, making it the largest coalition in Kenya’s history. It later emerged as the majority coalition in Parliament but has since lost ground following a wave of defections by smaller constituent parties to the ruling UDA-led Kenya Kwanza coalition.
In its petition, the NLP is asking the Registrar to establish whether Azimio remains compliant with the Political Parties Act, including disclosure of the coalition’s deed of agreement, an updated list of constituent parties, records of parties that have exited, the status of its governing organs, and a register of officials who have resigned or ceased to hold office.
A central focus of the petition is coalition financing. The NLP is seeking clarity on funds disbursed from the Political Parties Fund, particularly allocations tied to the 6.9 million votes Azimio received in the 2022 presidential election.
“As partner parties struggle to remain operational, some coalition members are sitting on millions of shillings held in bank accounts by virtue of the coalition arrangement,” Koyoo said.
Koyoo said Tuju’s resignation has further exposed leadership gaps within Azimio at a critical moment for the opposition.
The NLP said it is now awaiting direction from Azimio chairperson and former President Uhuru Kenyatta on the coalition’s future.
“We are all waiting to see what the chairman of the coalition party, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, will do to give new energy and cohesion to Azimio,” Muli said.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties is yet to responded to the petition.
