Kenya: Kenyatta won election with low turnout by landslide
October 30, 2017
The electoral commission has said fewer than half of eligible voters took part in the re-run presidential poll. Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga had boycotted the October 26 presidential election.
Image: Reuters/T. Mukoya
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Incumbent Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta won Thursday's re-run presidential election with 98.2 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said on Monday.
The commission's head, Wafula Chebukati, said turnout for the disputed poll was nearly 39 percent.
The head of the Kenyan opposition, Raila Odinga, had called on his supporters to boycott the vote due to a lack of electoral reforms. Odinga, who was nonetheless listed on the ballot, received 0.96 percent share of the final tally.
"I'm satisfied that we were able to meet these conditions that have enabled the commission to deliver ... a free, fair and credible election," Chebukati said.
Chebukati had warned ahead of the election that his commission could not guarantee its credibility.
Wafula Chebukati, head of the Kenyan electoral commissionImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Abdul Azim
After Chebukati announced the results, Kenyatta called for peace, adding that he expected legal challenges to the final outcome.
"My victory today is just part of a process that is likely to once again be subjected to a constitutional test through our courts ... I will submit to this constitutional path regardless of the outcome," he said.
The politics and controversies of Kenya's 2017 general election
The opposition alliance formed in an attempt to oust Kenya's ruling party announced its flag-bearer in Nairobi on Thursday. The National Super Alliance (NASA) is the newest player in an election already marred by chaos.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
NASA's attempt to oust ruling party
The National Super Alliance (NASA) has announced former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, 72, as its presidential candidate. Odinga, a veteran opposition leader, will face his last shot at the presidency after losing three past elections. NASA agonized over which flag-bearer will attract the most votes from key ethnic groups.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
Taking on new members from key areas
NASA is going up against current President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second and final term with his ruling Jubilee Party. Last week, the alliance ushered in Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto as a new co-principal. The leader of the southwest region brings with him support from Kenya's Rift Valley, the largest province in the country.
Image: Reuters/T. Mukoya
Voting a decade on from deadly political violence
Kenya's 2017 general elections are scheduled for August 8. This year, around 19 million Kenyans have registered to vote, pending a final audit to remove dead voters or duplicated listings. The vote comes a decade after disputed poll results fueled fighting that left more than 1,100 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
Unexpected voter turnout
Last week, unexpectedly large voter turnout in Kenya's ruling party primaries forced overwhelmed authorities to reschedule the vote. President Kenyatta said his Jubilee Party took the "unprecedented and difficult decision to cancel the entire nominations exercise." The high turnout led to a shortage of voter materials. Voting resumed on Monday.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
Election-fueled violence
This year's primaries to choose candidates for local government and parliament have already been affected by violence. Dozens were injured earlier this month at the Nairobi headquarters of opposition party Orange Democratic Movement when supporters of one senate nominee drew guns claiming her rival had already secured the party ballot. Last week, President Kenyatta warned against ongoing violence.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
Allegations of fraud
This year's vote has also been rocked by allegations of fraud. Opposition leader Raila Odinga claimed he discovered his own identity card had been used to register other people. In 2013, electronic tallying equipment failed, sparking concerns of vote rigging. Kenyatta approved a law in January requiring manual voting backup options should electronic systems fail.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
The role of ethnicity and tribalism
People in Kenya vote largely along ethnic lines. Political alliances depend on who can lure votes from Kenya's five most influential ethnic groups. Kenyatta is seeking a final term, running alongside his deputy William Ruto. The two men allied in 2013, bringing together two ethnic groups: Kenyatta's majority Kikuyu and Ruto's Kalenjin, who had violently clashed in 2007.
Image: Reuters/M. Eshiwani
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A disputed vote
The vote, which was marred by street violence, took place following a decision by the country's Supreme Court to order a re-run of the August 8 presidential election. The court said the electoral commission had committed "irregularities and illegalities" in the run up to the first vote.
But on the day of the re-run, Odinga called on the country to "not participate in any way in the sham election ... Convince your friends, neighbors and everyone else not to participate."
Odinga also told his supporters to refrain from protesting, but demonstrations nevertheless erupted in several opposition strongholds, including Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. At least three people were killed in clashes between demonstrators and police.
On Monday, US ambassador to Kenya Robert F. Godec warned ofescalating tensions in the country, saying Kenyans needed "to resolve the deep divisions that the electoral process has exacerbated."
