Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Ruto has appointed John Cox Lorionokou as the new Registrar of Political Parties.
The appointment was confirmed in a Gazette Notice dated October 2, 2025. The notice indicated that Lorionokou will serve for a non-renewable term of six years.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 34A of the Political Parties Act and in accordance with the procedure set out under paragraph 8 of the Sixth Schedule to the Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint— JOHN COX LORIONOKOU to be the Registrar of Political Parties, for a term of six (6) years,” the Gazette Notice reads.
Lorionokou takes over a key constitutional office mandated with overseeing the registration, regulation, and supervision of political parties in Kenya. The mandate of ORPP is to register, and regulate political parties, and administer the Political Parties Fund.
The Registrar also plays a central role in the management of coalition agreements, the enforcement of compliance with the Political Parties Act, and the coordination of state funding to eligible parties.
His appointment comes at a crucial moment, with political realignments already taking shape ahead of the 2027 General Election.
John Cox takes over from Sophia Sitati, who was serving as the Acting Registrar of Political Parties from July 14, 2025, until his appointment was gazetted on October 2, 2025.
Sitati was serving in an acting capacity after the office holder, Anne Nderitu, who resigned after securing an appointment as commissioner with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Alongside Lorionokou’s appointment, President Ruto also named Agatha Wanjiku Wahome as an Assistant Registrar of Political Parties, also for a six-year term.
Wahome will work alongside other deputies to support the Registrar in managing the growing portfolio of responsibilities linked to political party affairs.
In the same Gazette notice, the President announced the appointment of Claris Awuor Ongangah as the Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), also for a six-year term.
KNCHR is an independent National Human Rights Institution that acts as a watchdog over the Government in the area of human rights and provides key leadership in moving the country towards a human rights state.
The new appointments were part of a wider set of state and foreign service postings approved by Parliament and published in the official Gazette.
The moves are seen as part of Ruto’s strategy to fill key governance and oversight institutions with new leadership as his administration enters its fourth year in office.
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