Elections In Kenya Research Articles

Foreign Election Interference in Africa’s De-Democratization Culture

The 2016 USA elections appear to have made Russia the “poster-boy” for election interference across the globe, allegedly using tools such as disinformation, misinformation, mal-information, email hacking, leaking of confidential information, and others. All such activities are a threat to national self-determination, democracy, and the autonomy of the people. Since then, elections in developing democracies in Africa are also alleged to have experienced interference by the usual suspect: Russia. In Africa, the actors of election interferences have been expanded beyond Russia to include foreign countries and companies in past elections in Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ghana. The next general elections in Ghana are in December 2024. In the previous general elections in Ghana, there were no significant allegations of election interference, although, in 2020, the specter of foreign election interference emerged in the political discourse. The actions of the domestic actors to de-democratize elections were mentioned selectively. It may be simplistic to argue in favor of election non-interference in Ghana’s political business cycle every four years since 1992, but the allegations are not supported by evidence and are merely anecdotal and subjective or based on geopolitical realism. What can be proven is the de-democratization of incumbents and other domestic political actors in domestic elections through open vote-buying by politicians and vote-rigging by incumbent political leaders. In such a political dysmorphic situation, it is difficult to accuse any entity of being the mastermind of election interferences in Africa.

Ethnicity, Inequality and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Influence of Ethnicity in Political Mobilization and Resource Distribution: The Case of 2013 Presidential Elections in Kenya

Ethnicity, Inequality and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Influence of Ethnicity in Political Mobilization and Resource Distribution: The Case of 2013 Presidential Elections in Kenya

Coalition Formation and the Role of Ethnicity in Kenyan General Election, 2022

The political sector of Kenya provides an interesting perspective into the importance of lineage and ethnicity in Kenyan politics. Kenyan politicians are prone to switching alliances and forming coalitions to fit within their rapidly changing party dynamics and structure which are heavily influenced by ethnic factors. The leaders of these ethnic groups too are more likely to provide support depending on future favorability during the distribution of resources or positions within the new government. This paper reviews relevant literature and uses the social cleavage theory to discuss the importance of ethnicity in the formation of coalitions in Kenyan election of 2022. Through the discussions, the paper points out the instability of coalitions mostly based on ethnicity in Kenya and recommends the pursuit of a national identity instead of an ethnic identity.

Elements of Fake News in the 2022 General Elections in Kenya

This article discusses the manifestation of fake news in Kenya’s last general election based on a study of audio-visual content that was shared between June and December, 2022. It identifies the use of audio-visual content as fake news in the 2022 Kenyan general elections; identifies the themes of the audio-visual content used in Kenya’s 2022 general elections and analyzes the impact it had on the electoral discourse in the country. It is from this that it identifies gaps and gives recommendations including those on policy and hopes to contribute to scholarship on fake news whose interest among stakeholders keeps on growing. One of these recommendations is to teach fact-checking as a general course in institutions of higher learning. This should not be focused on journalists alone since everyone has the ability to create fake news content or to become its victim.

TV in times of political uncertainty: Evidence from the 2017 elections in Kenya

What is the impact of television during periods of political crisis? This paper examines the nullification of the 2017 presidential election in Kenya, followed by the organization of a repeat ballot, which sparked widespread protests and heightened uncertainty. Leveraging exogenous variations in television signal expansion since 2013, I assess the influence of television reception on voter turnout in both the initial and repeat ballots, as well as on electoral protests. The findings reveal that television did not significantly impact turnout in the first election; however, its effects varied across political camps in the repeat election. Turnout decreased by 3pp in pro-opposition areas but was a 7pp larger in pro-government strongholds. I contend that television played an informative role during a period characterized by high levels of uncertainty. Employing text analysis methods, I document the convergence of news content before the recall election, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing protests. Furthermore, the distinctive tone of coverage by the state-owned TV station may have bolstered the call for participation in the second poll.

Kenya Elections Trail: East African Roads Lead To Nairobi Anew

Purpose: Elections in Kenya since 1992 have had an uneven experience with some in which the results were contested only in the end to be accepted by the citizens on the one hand. On the other, in some elections there were crises but which resulted in a workable democratic compromise. This time around, in 2022, Kenya’s Supreme Court confirmed William Ruto winner of the country’s 2022 disputed national vote and the gesture did not put an end to political instability. The Opposition, Azimio coalition, continued to take the government head on over the high cost of living, issues of constitutional review, the appointment of a new electoral agency commission and the buying off of opposition members of parliament, among others. After two weeks of street protests by the Opposition and in an unexpected turn of events, Ruto (the sitting President) extended an offer of peace calling for dialogue. This study examines whether what is unfolding is yet another reason to believe that Kenya is setting a model for democracy in the East African region bedeviled with some election democracy troubled spots.
 Methodology: To attain up-to-date and reliable information, engagements have been done in debates, discussions and interviews with personnel who have had different roles and mandates at the level of intervention in the electoral process such as observing, monitoring and supervising; political analysts, political scientists, ruling party personnel, main opposition party personnel and civic educators in the office of the Registrar of Political Parties. Complementing were media tools in its various forms: tabloids (daily or weekly), newsreels, electronic media and others.
 Findings: Preliminary results from such avenues portray that in what appears as ceding ground from hard stance earlier adopted by the government, the reconciliatory tone stuck by the President is a step going along way to cool down the temperatures that have characterized the country’s political space over the last few months. In a similar vein, the gesture by the Opposition to give dialogue a chance is a window of opportunity to get the country back in the course of stability.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: While it remains to be seen how the talks between the two sides will progress, it also remains to be seen as to whether the jargon defining the process, ‘bi-partisan’ differs from other wordings like cooperation, grand-coalition, and handshake earlier applied when such situations determined the then defining political atmosphere.

Nonce Formations as a Campaign Tool in the 2022 General Elections in Kenya

Language is primarily a system that speakers use to make meaning. When there is no available term to refer to a new phenomenon or to communicate an idea then speakers use their linguistic creativity to create new terms. This is especially witnessed in the political arena during the campaign period. Using a multi-modal approach, this study analysed nonce formations that were used as a campaign tool during the 2022 general elections in Kenya. The nonce formations were purposively selected from WhatsApp platforms that supporters of the candidates were using to campaign for their candidates of choice or against the candidate they did not want to elect. Only words/phrases and images that were coined to campaign or communicate campaign ideals were selected. The data was analysed using a multi-modal approach and transitivity analysis based on Systemic Functional Grammar. The findings of this research indicate that nonce formations were a prominent campaign tool before the elections took place. This study contributes to the theory of nonce formations and neologisms and provides linguistic material for use in the study of political discourse and political register.

RHETORICAL RESOURCES IN POLITICAL SPEECHES: A CASE OF 2022 PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH CAMPAIGN DISCOURSE IN KENYA

This paper analyzed rhetorical resources in political speeches of 2022 presidential speech campaign discourse in Kenya. The 9th August 2022 elections in Kenya reflected the new dynamics in political environment. Consequently, the new dynamics reshaped the political discourse in Kenya from ethnics rhetoric’s to real issue based rhetoric’s. The study applied Faircloughs (1989, 2001) Critical Discourse Analysis theory. The study focused on political campaign speeches of two candidates only; former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto then. The research adopted a descriptive qualitative research design. The study used purpose sampling to select the speeches. Primary data (speeches, party manifestos and campaign video clips) as well as secondary data (newspapers and online sources) were used to critically analyze the aspect of rhetorical resources in 2022 presidential speeches. Documentary reviews and checklist were used to collect the specific rhetorical devices. The findings of the study revealed that both the presidential candidates employed propagated their ideologies through rhetorical resources such as repetition, pronoun and voice, three part list, metaphor and analogies. It is hoped that the study is beneficial in terms of theory and practice and in discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and applied linguistics. The study also provides useful insights to politicians, political analysts and researchers who have immense interest in political speeches.

Intra-Elite Influence towards Kenya’s 2022 General Elections

As Kenyans headed to elections in August 2022 which characteristically mirrored political alignments and re-alignments, it elicited mixed recitations and tensions among the political class. The two frontrunners, Raila Odinga and William Ruto saw a loss as a great threat to their political and economic interests. This was propounded by the nature of Kenyan elections that is always a high stakes affair since the political class is eager to protect their careers and business interests. The previously witnessed social tensions seemed low compared to the previous year’s elections that may be attributed to changes in political dynamics where the political elites have relatively resorted to political agendas. The issue based politics however does not elusively promise peaceful transition, but creates optimism. Despite the efforts for peaceful elections by the political elite, the intra-elite tensions possess a threat to the outcome of the vote. A highly prime scenario is the increasing verbal attacks on one another by the political class as election date drew nearer that ethnicity and economic cleavages could drive voters into unrest; a situation that could be easily overcome by conceding defeat. The already witnessed public pronouncements by the top presidential contenders to accepting the poll results and the public view of the Kenyan Judiciary being regarded one of the best in Africa creates an avenue for contestation where candidates unhappy with the election outcome resort to in limiting the possible threats of violence. The interdependent institutions at the election period have to support each other while maintaining strict neutrality. Both internal and external actors have and should even work harder to address potential sources of unrest as the country moves closer to transition. Kenya is currently the main transport and commercial hub in the East African region hence any form of violence impacts negatively much parts of the region. Use of social media sites contribute positively in political passage of information despite the risk of misinformation. It is therefore postulated that government institutions, civil society and political elites influence on their supporters will greatly sway their actions for stability, good economy, education, and external linkages afterwards.

Women's gendered experiences of political instability: Kibera during the 2017 Kenyan elections

This study examines how residents of Kibera, an multi-ethnic informal settlement and opposition stronghold in Nairobi, Kenya, understood and negotiated political instability in the run up to, and during, the contested elections of 2017. Much of the scholarship on election violence has been gender-blind, ignoring the ways in which gender roles shape the experiences but also the nature of conflict. When women's experiences during conflict and war are considered, it is typically in relation to sexual violence. By contrast, our study examines women's gendered experiences of political instability across multiple dimensions, employing the structural framework of gender relations developed by Connell and Pearse (2014) that distinguishes power, production, emotional attachments, and symbolism. Data were produced from multi-method qualitative fieldwork undertaken shortly after the 2017 elections. We find that participants' experiences of deeply patriarchal structures, threats of sexual violence and the brutality of policing in Kibera coexisted with contestations of gendered power relations through mitigation strategies and some women's activism. Political instability moreover impacted women's labour and increased their already great obligations in terms of paid and unpaid work by generating additional responsibilities to cope with conflict and violence and to keep children safe. A dominant discourse of women as peacebuilders is shown to contribute to many women's senses of increased responsibility for peace itself during periods of political instability and serves to obscure their differences and that their gender roles might contribute to ethnic conflict. By examining how political instability in an informal settlement is experienced and negotiated across multiple dimensions of gender relations, this article contributes to the feminist literature on peace and conflict, and specifically to recent analyses of gender and electoral violence.

Elections in Kenya: When All Roads in East Africa Lead to Nairobi

Kenya went to the elections in August 2022. The increasing unpredictable and competitive elections have often down-graded general election trends in the East Africa region where predetermined outcomes and poll fixing are the often norm Kenya was not going to be an exception. However, the case in Kenya was different this time. The era of unquestionable linchpins in Kenyan politics seemed to no longer dictate the tone among Kenyan voters. The voting alliance usually set among ethnic lines appeared to have been a matter of the past. Leading candidates set tone by disowning violence and instead appealed for peace to their supporters during the process of elections. Independent monitoring via parallel vote tabulations and public access of data released by the electoral commission from polling stations kept the public informed of the contest. Before the elections, during and after, anxiety was on the rise within Kenya, among Kenya’s neighbors, the rest of Africa and elsewhere.
 This study examines the 2022 General Election in Kenya as to the maturity of the Kenya electorate against all the odds that has always beset the nation during such particular times. The example set is worth emulation by willing neighboring East African and African states in particular and the world at large. Literature on the elections from reliable daily and weekly tabloids, newsreels, interviews from the mass media, one- to- one debates with political analysts, active participation in panel discussions on the election and discussion groups furnished the necessary information to put something on paper. The general consensus in the discussion groups pitted Kenya to have made a leap forward.
 The conclusion can be drawn that a significant progress has been made in Kenya’s election process since 2007-2008. The process in 2022 has displayed a maturity of democracy worth rivalling.

The (un)making of electoral transparency through technology: The 2017 Kenyan presidential election controversy.

Marked by the killing of a senior ICT professional working for the Electoral Commission and the invalidation of the presidential election by the Supreme Court, the 2017 Kenyan elections make for a good case through which to study how digital technologies shape contemporary electoral practice. This article examines the practice of electoral transparency through technology and argues that it can be conceived as a socio-technical device based both on distancing people from knowledge of the electoral infrastructure and on staging a simplified discourse on public access to the electoral infrastructure. Drawing on interviews with key actors in election technology implementation and ethnographic observations of public events around it, the article argues that digital technology has had three sets of implications for elections. First, it has shaped the electoral infrastructure and the nature of the final result (now a paper and digital hybrid). Second, it has shaped the distribution of knowledge among electoral professionals, giving a central role to ICT actors, objects, and knowledge in the definition of electoral transparency. Third, the centrality of ICTs in elections and the order of knowledge they bring are highly controversial and criticized by other electoral actors who demand for material proof for understanding the inner workings of elections.

Kenya Election Facts and Figures

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural SeriesVolume 59, Issue 8 p. 23689B-23689B Full Issue Kenya Election Facts and Figures First published: 14 September 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-825X.2022.10646.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume59, Issue8September 2022Pages 23689B-23689B RelatedInformation

The appeals in women contestants’ campaign slogans during the 2017 general elections in Kenya

Women have made notable political gains globally, evidenced by the number of elected women. In Kenya, though the current number of elected women in parliament, senate and governor position is the highest it has ever been, women contestants still face a number of challenges during their political campaigns. To strategically position themselves during campaigns, women have to use slogans that appeal to the Kenyan electorate in the different parts of the country. This qualitative study, anchored on the theory of gender issue ownership, focusses on the campaign slogans that women running for parliament, senate and governor positions used during the 2017 general elections in the country. Data was collected from online sources-contestants’ Facebook pages and groups, websites etc. and thematically analysed. Findings showed that the slogans appealed to motherhood qualities, a sense of community, credible leadership, and to musicality. The study helps to further understand women's political campaigns in Kenya and other related contexts.

7 - ‘Open the Servers’: The Implications of Electoral Technology for Kenya’s Democratisation Process


 
 
 Digital technologies for elections were introduced in Kenya with a vision that they would bring election reforms through increasing administrative efficiency, reducing long-term costs, and by enhancing transparency in the electoral process would enhance citizenry inclusivity. Despite the voting exercise taking place without a hitch, the 2017 General Election results were dismissed by various stakeholders who called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ‘open the servers’, with witnesses, to use the results inside the servers to verify the ballot papers in the ballot boxes. Promises by IEBC that counting, transmission and verification of results would promote citizens’ rights during the electoral process were not met hence the Swahili phrase, ‘Fungua server’ (Open the servers) was coined. The server became the Holy Grail, the gadget of hope for free and fair elections. Chants of ‘Fungua server’ unveiled the dreaded side of Kenya’s democratisation; of flawed elections and violence that followed. ‘Fungua server’ was a call to free and fair elections. The paradox of technology this article seeks to interrogate was how technology has subverted democratic elections in Kenya; arguing that there is need to demystify the server and focus on electoral transparency as a yardstick of democracy.
 
 
 
 Joyce Omwoha, PhD, Lecturer, Journalism & Media Studies, Technical University of Kenya. Email: joyceomwoha@gmail.com
 
 
 
 
 

Conflict-related Sexual Violence in Kenya: A Case Study

The 2007 general elections in Kenya were followed by a period of organized and spontaneous violence. According to the International Criminal Court, crimes against humanity such as murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, persecution, rape, and other inhumane acts took place in the country. Widespread conflict-related sexual violence reached high levels during the conflict, in both topdown and bottom-up dynamics. This article analyzes the forms of post-electoral violence and the notion of sexual violence as political violence; an 'organizational policy', as suggested by the ICC, or as a practice that is 'tolerated'. It further investigates transitional justice mechanisms applied in the country after the episode, including the work of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission and the ICC's prosecution strategy. Finally, it discusses the impact of such transitional justice measures regarding conflict-related sexual violence, not only concerning victims and witnesses, but the entire Kenyan society.

The Role of Patriarchy, Women’s Participation in Electing a Woman into Top Political Leadership of Kenya

Leadership is not only contextual, but it’s also significantly influenced by the patriarchal society. Unequivocally there is no consensus as to why women are underrepresented in the top echelons of the country. Since its inception, the Kenyan government patriarchy has taken the center stage and even the women who fought for independence were never considered for leadership but were relegated to the periphery. The 2022 general elections in Kenya come at a time when the two-third gender rule has never been implemented. Even with Maraga ruling that the president dissolves parliament for failing to implement the two-thirds gender rule, it was also unheeded. On the other hand, the patriarchal government has presented and nominated a woman for the position of Deputy President in the Azimio coalition. This is a position that has been received with mixed feelings, some with celebration and others with disgust. This disgust is based on their particular inclination. The question remains was she put there with good faith, or it’s just to become a stepladder to help the Azimio coalition to gain mirage? Bearing in mind the entrenchment of the patriarchal ideologies in most tribes in Kenya will men vote for a woman in the office of the deputy president in Kenya? These are the issues feminist leaders are wrestling with. The purpose of this paper is to establish the barriers that hinder women from being elected to the top echelon of the leadership of this country, and secondly, to discuss the role of patriarchy in keeping women away from the decision-making table and the top leadership of the nation. The paper provides a solution to enhancing women’s election into the top leadership in Kenya. It suggests that men must champion the election of a woman into top leadership. It contributes toward breaking the glass ceiling and political gender inequality, and suggests inclusivity as a way forward in having a woman in the top leadership of a country. Also, the partnership between men and women to support and elect a woman leader is a prerogative. Breaking the glass ceiling and electing a woman to the top leadership position of being the deputy president in Kenya brings hope and inspiration not only to the Kenyan women but also to the whole society.

Explaining the (local) ethnic census: subnational variation in ethnic politics in Kenyan elections

AbstractWhy do elections in some ethnically diverse constituencies resemble an ethnic census, while in others ethnicity plays a less prominent role? Prior literature on ethnic bloc voting in Africa suggests that political parties acquire ethnic ‘labels’ that tacitly signal which groups belong to the party. In ethnic census-style elections, voters and politicians then use ethnicity as a heuristic for deciding which party to support. However, ethnic censuses are not the only possible outcome in diverse constituencies. Links between ethnic identities and political parties can create a disconnect between locally and nationally relevant identities that affects the dynamics of local elections. Drawing on data from over 160 semi-structured, qualitative interviews and detailed election results in four ethnically diverse Kenyan parliamentary constituencies, I show how local constructions of ethnic difference mediate the effects of national political dynamics and shape patterns of political competition in parliamentary elections, affecting the behaviour of politicians and voters.

Popular Art and the Reconfiguration of Political Intolerance in Kenya

Political intolerance is a recurrent feature in any general election in Kenya. The charged political atmosphere during elections has often seen heated verbal tiffs among politicians and supporters of opposing political leanings degenerate into intimidation, violence, eviction of tenants from their houses, discrimination at the workplace, denial of job opportunities, and even murder of political opponents, among many other atrocious acts. This article explores how popular artistic productions deployed by the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition in the run-up to the 8 August 2017 general elections to galvanise the electorate in its nationwide campaigns implicitly sparked intolerance among their political opponents. The article examines popular art forms such as popular songs, cartoons, memes and popular religious songs that centre on this historical period in the country and are directly associated with the NASA coalition. The article shows how these creative art forms morph into vehicles of political aspirations, codifying political visions and manifestos. They become central to political struggle and contestations over power, and when reconfigured, potentially anchor political intolerance.

TV in Times of Political Uncertainty: Evidence from the 2017 Elections in Kenya

TV in Times of Political Uncertainty: Evidence from the 2017 Elections in Kenya