Method
We compiled this guide by checking each party’s official website, its published notices, and reputable Kenyan media coverage (People Daily, Nation, Standard, Star). For every fee listed below, at least one dated source is cited. Where a party has not publicly announced 2027 fees, we say so rather than reprint older cycles or WhatsApp rumours.
DCP (Democracy for the Citizens Party): full schedule published
DCP issued a formal nomination notice on 24 July 2026, reported in People Daily on 25 July 2026. Payment via M-PESA paybill 247247 (Equity Bank), account 254829.
| Position | Standard | Youth / PWD |
|---|---|---|
| MCA | KES 5,000 | KES 2,500 |
| MP / Woman Rep / Senator | KES 10,000 | KES 5,000 |
| Governor | KES 50,000 | KES 25,000 |
Full walkthrough in the DCP nomination fees 2027 guide.
UDA: nominations run via portal, no public fee page
UDA (William Ruto) manages nominations through aspirants.uda.ke. The public homepage at uda.ke and the membership portal at members.uda.ke do not publish an aspirant fee schedule as of August 2026. That does not mean UDA charges nothing; it means the fee is disclosed inside the aspirant portal (which requires an account) rather than on the public website.
If you are contesting under UDA in 2027, register on aspirants.uda.ke to see the current fee for your position, or contact the party at 020 2020405 / hello@uda.ke. We will update this guide when UDA publishes a public fee schedule.
ODM: fee schedule not yet centrally published for 2027
ODM historically publishes nomination fees closer to the party’s primary elections window. As of August 2026, we could not find a full 2027 fee schedule on odm.co.ke. What is published is the general donations paybill (985900, account = your phone number). If you are contesting on an ODM ticket, expect a fee schedule to be released in the year before the general election; we will update this guide once it is.
Jubilee Party: no public fee schedule
As of August 2026, jubileeparty.or.ke does not display a 2027 nomination fee schedule. Verify directly with the party if you intend to contest on a Jubilee ticket. We will not fabricate a number.
Other parties
Smaller parties (there are dozens registered with ORPP) typically publish nomination fees only when they announce nominations for a specific position. If you are considering contesting under a smaller party, check that party’s official channels directly. Do not rely on this guide as a universal directory; we cover only the parties for which we can verify fees or publicly confirm the absence of a published fee.
Why the fee schedules vary so much across parties
Three factors drive the spread:
- Party size and administrative overhead. A party with 47 county chairs, formal branch offices, and a full vetting committee spends real money on a nomination cycle. Fees at that scale need to cover it.
- Expected demand for the ticket. If a party expects to attract 30 candidates for a governor position, higher fees serve as a filter. If it expects one or two, lower fees encourage participation.
- Strategic positioning. Some parties advertise low fees to signal grassroots values; others keep fees high to project seriousness. Both are legitimate; neither is neutral.
The honest paragraph
Party nomination fees do not decide who is qualified to hold office in Kenya. They decide who can afford to try. A KES 50,000 governor fee is small relative to what a serious governor campaign costs (tens of millions), but it is meaningful for grassroots candidates without capital. A KES 5,000 MCA fee is barely a filter at all. Both extremes have consequences: too low and parties get flooded with unserious applications; too high and viable community leaders cannot get past the door. There is no perfect number, only trade-offs.
Youth and PWD reductions where they exist are a small correction on this. They do not solve the underlying problem, which is that Kenyan politics is expensive from nomination to inauguration.
Separate from party fees: IEBC nomination fees
Party nomination fees buy you a place in a party primary. Separately, once you are nominated by a party (or if you contest as an independent), you pay a nomination fee to the IEBC at Commission nomination, by banker's cheque made out to the Commission. These are two different payments to two different bodies, and the IEBC one is set by regulation rather than by any party.
The rates below are from the IEBC's own published notice of requirements for elective posts, read on 13 September 2026. That notice is still the 2022 one, headed for the general election of 9 August 2022: the IEBC has not yet published 2027 rates. Treat these as the last published schedule, not as confirmed 2027 figures.
- President (and running mate): KES 200,000
- Governor (and running mate): KES 50,000
- Senator: KES 50,000
- National Assembly, including Woman County Representative: KES 20,000
- Ward / County Assembly (MCA): KES 5,000
A youth, woman, or person with a disability pays half of the figure above at every level, so KES 100,000 for the presidency down to KES 2,500 for an MCA seat. There is no separate nomination for a running mate: the deputy is covered by the principal's nomination, for both the presidency and a governorship.
Source: IEBC, Requirements for Elective Post. We will re-read all seven positions on that page when the IEBC publishes its 2027 notice and update this section the same week.
Update cadence for this guide
We refresh this guide monthly through 2027, and any time a party publishes a new fee schedule. If you see a party notice we have not captured, please report it and we will update within 24 hours. The published-date at the top of this page reflects the last verification.
FAQ
Which Kenyan party has published a full 2027 nomination fee schedule?
As of August 2026: DCP has published a full schedule (KES 5,000 MCA, KES 10,000 MP or Woman Rep or Senator, KES 50,000 Governor, halved for youth and PWD). UDA runs nominations via aspirants.uda.ke without a public fee page on uda.ke as of the date of this guide. ODM, Jubilee and others have not centrally published 2027 fees yet; expect updates closer to the formal nomination window.
Where do I confirm current nomination fees for my party?
Ideally three sources: the party's official website, an official party notice or press release (dated), and reputable Kenyan media coverage of that notice. If only WhatsApp forwards are circulating, treat the fee as unverified until the party or a serious outlet confirms.
Are Kenyan nomination fees typically negotiable?
No. Nomination fees are set at party level for each cycle, applied uniformly, and are non-refundable. Reduced fees for youth (18-35) and PWD applicants are the standard concession where they exist. Anything sold to you as a "discount deal" outside those categories is not the party's position.
How do nomination fees actually get spent?
Nomination fees fund the vetting process, internal party primaries, printing of nomination certificates, and party-level election preparation. They are separate from the nomination fee each successful candidate then pays to the IEBC at Commission nomination, by banker's cheque. On its last published schedule (2022) that IEBC fee ran from KES 5,000 for an MCA seat to KES 200,000 for the presidency, halved for a youth, woman or person with a disability.
Do independent candidates pay nomination fees?
Independent candidates skip the party nomination fee (they are not nominated by any party). They still pay the IEBC nomination fee for the seat they are contesting, and they carry extra requirements a party candidate does not: a clearance certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties showing no party membership in the 3 months before the election, a list of supporters with copies of their ID cards (500 for an MCA seat, 1,000 for National Assembly, 2,000 for Senate, and 2,000 from each of a majority of counties for the presidency), a Commission-approved symbol, and a functioning office in the electoral area open to inspection at least 45 days before the election. Confirm all of it against iebc.or.ke closer to the nomination window.
Why do some parties charge higher fees than others?
Three drivers: administrative cost (larger vetting operations cost more), demand (parties expecting many aspirants can price to filter), and strategy (some parties keep fees deliberately low to encourage grassroots participation, others set them higher to project seriousness). None of these is inherently right or wrong.
What happens if a party changes its fee schedule mid-cycle?
Anyone who paid the old fee typically has that payment credited towards the new one. If the fee increases, the party may ask aspirants to top up; if it decreases, refunds are rare and usually go to future contests. Read the party's notice carefully when a change is announced.
Is there a public database of every Kenyan party's nomination fees?
Not centrally. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) at orpp.or.ke publishes the register of parties but not fee schedules. Each party publishes its own. This guide compiles the ones we can verify as of August 2026 and will be updated as more parties announce.