International observation will not insulate controversial polls – such as Tanzania’s in October – from malpractices, but will make them less likely and allow them to be exposed.
Articles on Kenya elections
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Social media reach is greatest among younger voters, who have integrated online platforms more closely into their personal lives.
By pushing their usually valid complaints onto the streets and the courts, opposition leaders deny governments the popular goodwill and international credibility they need to govern effectively.
Even in the most tense and dangerous of moments, the elite has found a way to come back together.
Political legacies generated during authoritarian rule have a tendency to transcend into the multiparty era.
A new round of elections offers an opportunity to strengthen civil and political freedoms.
What role do foreign actors play in African elections? Cambridge Analytica’s case sheds some light.
Questions are being raised about the Kenyatta and Odinga relationship.
The majority of Kenyans appear to be happy as President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga’s pledge to “build bridges.”
Kenya’s government has brought the role of the media into sharp focus after shutting down three main television stations.
Raila Odinga’s swearing-in has rattled Kenya’s government thanks in part to the large crowds that turned up.
Across Africa, mainstream media have traditionally been the unrivalled custodians and originators of the public agenda. But this year social media took over as a new regime of information.
The past 12 months provided further evidence of the danger of democratic backsliding in Africa. But it also saw powerful presidents suffer embarrassing setbacks in a number of countries.
Elections, even free and competitive ones, don’t always mean that a country is more democratic. Instead of weakening the elite’s grip on power, elections might actually make them stronger.
The Commonwealth countries’ democratic failings take a back seat to British panic about impending irrelevance.
Raila Odinga has been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy and upholding the rule of law in Kenya. His latest battles are bound to cement his legacy as a progressive force for good.
Key institutions steering Kenya’s election have evidently broken down, leaving the country open to an iron fist to reestablish political stability by any means necessary.
Despite avenues for legal redress, the solution to Kenya’s constitutional crisis is political. The leadership on both sides of the political divide must reach an agreement for the sake of the nation.
The outcome of the race between increasingly artful electoral manipulation and limitless possible manifestations of democratic expression is never entirely certain.
Kenya’s upcoming poll will continue despite opposition leader Raila Odinga’s decision to exit lawful processes prematurely. This will mean Kenyatta will likely win his second term in a row.
Top contributors
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Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham
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PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Nairobi
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Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Warwick
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Lecturer, School of Journalism, University of Nairobi
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Researcher, African and African Diaspora Studies, National School of Anthropology and History
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Professor of Media Industries, University of Nottingham
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Professor of History, Durham University
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PhD Candidate in Political Economy, SMC University
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Research Professor, Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi
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Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
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Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California, Riverside
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Associate Professor, Political Science, College of the Holy Cross
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Associate Professor of International Studies, University of Nottingham
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Lecturer, Information Technology and the Law, Daystar University
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge