October 2017 Kenyan presidential election
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 19,611,423 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 39.03% ( 40.48pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results by county | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
_(cropped).jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
.svg) |
|---|
 Kenya portal |
Presidential elections were held in Kenya on 26 October 2017 following the Supreme Court's annulment of the results of the presidential vote in the August 2017 general elections. Incumbent president and Jubilee Party candidate Uhuru Kenyatta won 98.3% of the vote, defeating Orange Democratic Movement candidate Raila Odinga, who had withdrawn weeks before the election, believing that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had no intention of implementing reforms that would ensure a credible process.
Background
[edit]General elections were held in Kenya on 8 August 2017. Incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner of the presidential contest with 54.17% of the vote, whilst his main rival Raila Odinga finished second with 44.94% of the vote. The opposition claimed that it had won and that the government had rigged the elections. The opposition appealed to the Supreme Court. Citing a breach of the technical processes required by the constitution and the law, the court returned a verdict (by a margin of 4–2) that the election had not been "conducted in accordance with the constitution", cancelling the results and ordering fresh elections to be held within 60 days.[1] In a television address Kenyatta complained that the decision was tantamount to overturning the "will of the people". He nevertheless stated that though he disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision, he would obey that decision. Raila Odinga on the other hand welcomed the court's verdict, saying "This indeed is a very historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension the people of the continent of Africa."[2]
Electoral system
[edit]The President of Kenya is elected using a modified version of the two-round system: to win in the first round, a candidate must receive over 50% of the vote nationally and 25% of the vote in at least 24 of Kenya's 47 counties.[3][4]
Campaign
[edit]According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Kenyatta-Odinga family rivalry was a matter of personality and tribe, with their respective parties serving as vehicles for their political ambitions rather than platforms for distinct policies. Nevertheless, Kenyatta was considered more pro-business and supported legislation that would limit the role of judges in future elections, accusing the Supreme Court's judges of being bought off by "white people and other trash." Odinga was considered more of a populist and advocated for wide-ranging changes to electoral commission personnel and practices.[5]
On 10 October, following a series of opposition protests aimed at forcing the government into concessions, Odinga announced his withdrawal from the election, believing that the IEBC had no intention of implementing reforms that would ensure a credible process.[6] Following his withdrawal, constitutional lawyers debated whether the election could proceed and if Odinga's name would still appear on the ballot.[7]
On 18 October, IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe resigned and fled to the United States, citing fears for her life. She claimed that the commissioners were partisan and unable to deliver a credible election, and that they faced political intimidation.[8] IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati also expressed skepticism about a fair election, claiming the IEBC commissioners were partisan-minded and that he would resign unless certain conditions are met to reform the IEBC.[9][10]
On 20 October, the IEBC's chief executive officer Ezra Chiloba announced that he will not be monitoring the election and that starting 23 October, he will take a three-week vacation.[11] Chiloba's departure has created more uncertainty over who will monitor the election.[12]
On 24 October, the IEBC announced that it would now count back-up paper ballots and not rush to announce the official results based only on numbers sent from the polling stations like in the first presidential election as well.[13] The same day, Chebukati appointed IEBC Vice Chair Consolata N.B. Maina as the IEBC Deputy National Returning Officer.[14]
Results
[edit]On 30 October the IEBC declared Kenyatta the winner of the elections.[15]
| Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uhuru Kenyatta | William Ruto | Jubilee Party | 7,483,895 | 98.26 | |
| Raila Odinga | Kalonzo Musyoka | National Super Alliance | 73,228 | 0.96 | |
| Ekuru Aukot | Emmanuel Nzai | Thirdway Alliance Kenya | 21,333 | 0.28 | |
| Abduba Dida | Titus Ngetuny | Alliance for Real Change | 14,107 | 0.19 | |
| Japheth Kaluyu | Muthiora Kariara | Independent | 8,261 | 0.11 | |
| Michael Wainaina | Miriam Mutua | Independent | 6,007 | 0.08 | |
| Joseph Nyagah | Moses Marango | Independent | 5,554 | 0.07 | |
| Cyrus Jirongo | Joseph Momanyi | United Democratic Party | 3,832 | 0.05 | |
| Total | 7,616,217 | 100.00 | |||
| Valid votes | 7,616,217 | 99.51 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 37,713 | 0.49 | |||
| Total votes | 7,653,930 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 19,611,423 | 39.03 | |||
| Source: IEBC | |||||
Aftermath
[edit]Supreme Court decision
[edit]Two petitions were filed at Kenyan Supreme Court challenging the results of the 26 October 2017 election. The six judge bench unanimously decided that the petitions had no merit and upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's win for a second term.[16]
Inauguration
[edit]As per the constitutional timelines, Kenyatta's second inauguration was conducted on 28 November 2017.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Kenya presidential election cancelled by Supreme Court BBC News, 1 September 2017
- ^ Kenya Supreme Court nullifies presidential election, orders new vote CNN, 1 September 2017
- ^ Presidential Candidates Kenya Diaspora Vote
- ^ Article 138 (4) Constitution of Kenya 2010
- ^ Campbell, John. "What Went Wrong With Kenya's Elections?". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ Burke, Jason (2017-10-10). "Kenya: Raila Odinga withdraws from election rerun". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Kenya's Raila Odinga quits election re-run". 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Dixon, Robyn (2017-10-18). "Kenyan election official flees to U.S. in fear for her life, saying new election will not be fair". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Karanja, Samuel (October 18, 2017). "I will not go down as the Chairman who plunged the country into a deeper crisis-Wafula Chebukati". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.
- ^ Onyango, Protus. "Wafula Chebukati sets conditions for him to remain as IEBC chair". The Standard.
- ^ Duggan, Briana; Karimi, Faith (October 20, 2017). "Under pressure, Kenyan election official takes leave before new vote". CNN Digital.
- ^ Miriri, Duncan; Fick, Maggie (October 20, 2017). "Eyes on Odinga as Kenya election board CEO takes leave before vote". Reuters.
- ^ Ndiso, John (October 24, 2017). "Kenya officials change way of announcing election results". Reuters.
- ^ "News | Kenyans.co.ke". Archived from the original on 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
- ^ Houreld, Katharine; Miriri, Duncan (October 30, 2017). "Kenyan President Kenyatta wins 98 percent of vote in repeat election". Reuters.
- ^ "Kenya's supreme court has upheld the reelection of president Uhuru Kenyatta" Quartz Africa, 20 November 2017
- ^ "President Uhuru Kenyatta sworn-in for second term in office" Standard Digital, 28 November 2017
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
