World Culture Research Assignment Africa: Kenya Election

Junrui Zhang
Professor Pfeil
World Culture: Africa
29/11/2017
Kenya Election
The Kenya election has been in headlines for the better part of 2017. Ever since Kenya attained its independence from Britain 1963, the country has been experiencing deep political divisions. It was not until 1992 that the first multiparty elections took place. In the country, most of the general elections have been characterized by allegations of rigging and ethnic violence. Kenya is a political democracy, and the elections follow the framework of a presidential system. The president, the members of the national assembly, senators, women representatives, governors, and county assembly members are elected on the day of the general election that takes place once every five years. If the winner in the presidential election does not win more than 50% votes, a rerun of the top two candidates is done. In addition, in the case the presidential election is nullified by the country’s Supreme Court, a new one is organized within 60 days. The new constitution promulgated in 2010 was set to guide the country particularly in the political processes. However, the 2017 general elections exposed a looming constitutional crisis. The 2017 generation was characterized by violence, rigging allegations, and the nullification of the presidential election. This paper examines the Kenya’s political history, election environment, and the circumstances underlying 2017 elections.
Kenya’s political and electoral history defines most of the aspects of the 2017 elections. The 2013 and 2017 general elections in Kenya involved a member of the Kenyatta family contesting against a member of the Odinga family. About half a decade ago, the two key figures in Kenya’s political environment were Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Fast forward to 2013 and 2017, the two popular candidates were their sons. Jomo Kenyatta was the country’s first president and founding father, Oginga was its first vice president. Although they worked together, the resignation of Oginga revealed the rift that existed between the two. This political history is what led the stiff competition between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga. Therefore the rift between these two political heads today originated about a half a century ago between their fathers.
A significant issue that characterizes elections in Kenya is ethnic divisions. The fathers were of different ethnicities; Kenyatta was a Kikuyu while Oginga was a Luo. This is likely the beginning of the ethnic rift that is exist in the country. In a country that is made up of 42 distinct tribes, one would expect a little ethnic rift. However, in the case of Kenya, particularly in elections, members of the population are completely divided along ethnic lines with the Luos and Kikuyus exhibiting extreme hatred against one another (Bichachi). They are divided majorly on their choices during the general elections. There are not other specific issues that the electorates are divided on. The candidates, particularly the presidential ones, are the source of the ethnic divisions in country. According to an article by Bichachi, Kenyans hate on each other based on one’s last names. It is important to note that the last names of the members of the population identify the tribes they belong to. As described by Bichachi from the perspective of a Kenyan, “we practice our hate for each other on a daily, we are angry on our roads, we judge and laugh at each other based on our last name and we prevent marriages based on tribe...” The author also notes that the citizens of the country are selfish and it is this selfishness that has contributed to tribalism and eventually corruption among leaders. The selfishness among the members of the population makes them want a member belonging to their tribes to occupy high office. As such, it seems citizens in the country cannot stand a member of another tribe occupying the highest office in the land. A big challenge that has arguably contributed to hotly contested elections is the ethnic rift. In the 2013 and 2017 general elections, Kenyatta was heavily supported by members of the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities while Odinga was majorly supported by members of the Luo community. As such, ethnic division is an issue that affects elections in the country to a great extent.
With the exception of 2002, history shows that the country has been experiencing violence in the election periods. The 1992 and 2007 general elections were marred by ethnic violence that contributed to the deaths and displacement of members of the population. Ethnic challenges have been facing the country, and this is reflected in the voting patterns in the country. The ethnic challenges are reflected in the election and are responsible for the related violence. It is this hate for one another that led to displacement and death in the elections in the country. As shown in the article by Bichachi, the Kenyan people have no problem voting for leaders that have questionable pasts as long as they belong to their tribe. Therefore, ethnic division is perhaps the most significant problem facing the country’s electoral process. Another challenge that has faced the country’s electoral process over the years is credibility. The bodies tasked woth organizing elections in the country have previously faced rigging accusation. Specifically, they were accused of rigging in favor of the incumbent president Mwai Kibaki in the 2007 elections which eventually led to ethnic violence. As informed by Mutahi and Kimari , the country experienced violence in deadly proportions in the elections (3). Interestingly, Raila Odinga was the main rival in the 2007 general election. This is interesting in that he would again contest in the 2017 general elections. In 2013, after Uhuru Kenyatta had been elected as the country’s president, there were allegations of rigging. However, the country’s Supreme Court upheld the election of President Kenyatta. Electoral challenges were particularly significant in the 2017 general elections. The results of the presidential elections were annulled. In the full report of the annulment of the results, the country’s Supreme Court blamed the electoral body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for failing to hold a verifiable and transparent election. According to an article in the BBC titled “Kenya's Supreme Court criticises IEBC electoral commission”, the electoral body did not verify the results before announcing them. This led to the annulment of the elections as IEBC had not followed the law that requires the process be accurate, verifiable, transparent, and accountable (BBC). Therefore, based on the Kenyatta-Oginga rift and previous elections, rigging, and ethnic violence, the country’s political and election history has had significant influence on the 2017 elections.
One of the factors characterizing Kenyan pre-election environment is tension. Before elections are held in Kenya, the environment can be said to be tense as there is the prevalent of fake news (BBC, “Kenya Election: Fake CNN and BBC News Reports Circulate.”). The citizens of the country are not sure whether the loser in the general elections would concede or not. The pre-election environment is also characterized by mistrust in the electoral process. In the 2017 elections, the opposition, the National Super Alliance (NASA), expressed fears of election rigging by the electoral body the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta. The pre-election environment is filled with uncertainty and fears. The fears of violence are also prevalent in the country given that deaths and displacement of people have occurred in previous elections (Mutahi and Kimari 3). The electoral body is faced with significant challenges that compromise the credibility of the election. A significant problem lies in the transmission of results (Mutahi and Kimari 16). Failure of the technology used to transmit the results has been a problem in previous elections. Therefore, the fear of system failure or compromise is a key issue that the Kenya electoral body faces. The pressure from political parties is also a worry the country faces. In the repeat poll, Odinga resorted to boycotting as the demands for his coalition had not been met (BBC). As such, with the electoral body not being trusted by a major political party, the whole process becomes compromised. Therefore, with the electoral body facing distrust from a section of the electorates, holding an election that would be fair and transparent to this section becomes difficult. Tension thus describes the Kenyan pre-election environment.
The use of social media and the spread of fake news also play role in the Kenya’s electoral process (Mutahi and Kimari 3). In this age of the internet, technology is used for faster spread of information. According to Mutahi and Kimari, social media and digital technology impact significantly the polling and campaigning in Kenya (3). The authors note that social media has contributed to the incitement and ethnic hatred in the country. Kenyans use WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter majorly to spread the hate messages and incite others (Mutahi and Kimari 8). With the rapid spread of internet usage, the spread of hate messages also increases. The article by Mutahi and Kimari point out that the increase in internet and mobile penetration has influenced the elections on three f...