Free and fair? Citizens’ assessments of the 2013 general election in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya's peaceful 2013 election came as a relief to domestic and international observers, who feared a repeat of the brutal 2007––2008 post-election violence. Many observers conflated this relative peace with electoral credibility, but analysis of a post-election national opinion poll reveals a more complex picture. Most Kenyans did feel that the 2013 election was free and fair, but their conception of free and fair is rooted more in the historical context of the election than in technical electoral procedures. Personal experiences of irregularities at the level of polling stations do not play a statistically significant role in shaping voters’ opinions about electoral credibility. Instead, voters are more influenced by their ethnicities, their confidence in electoral institutions and by how highly they prioritised peace. These findings reveal the importance of local context and history in conceptions of electoral integrity on the ground.