The 2013 Kenyan Elections: A victory for African Democracy

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta

On March 4, 2013, Kenyans went to the polls by the millions to elect not only their fourth president but also Senators, MPs for the 290 electoral constituencies, County Governors, Women County Representatives, Civic Wards, in one of the most crucial elections the country has held since independence. It was the country’s first ever general elections held after the 2007 post-election disputes which plunged the country into cataclysmic violence and resulted in the death of about 1200 Kenyans with roughly 600,000 being internally and externally displaced.

 The election was also the first under the new constitution which was adopted in the 2010 referendum. The passage of the new constitution in August 2010 introduced sweeping changes to the political system. It was designed to, among other things, stave off another violent outburst in the March 2013 elections. For instance, the new constitution made the Kenyan electoral commission more independent with the establishment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The Judiciary arm of government also saw significant reforms.

The 2013 Kenyan elections was particularly expected to bring the much-needed unity of purpose in the executive arm of the country's fractious coalition government where power was shared between the two candidates of the two major parties which locked horns in the 2007 presidential elections - Mwai Kibaki of the People’s National Unity (PNU) was the president whilst his major political opponent in the last elections, Raila Odinga, served as the prime minister in a deal to achieve peace.

Eight parties contested in this year's elections. However, the real contest was between the two major coalition parties namely, The Jubilee Party led by Uhuru Kenyatta, son of the founder and first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, and The coalition of Reform and Democracy (CORD) led by Raila Odinga . This comes as no surprise at all since Kenya has always been a two party state where despite the prevalence of multiplicity of political parties, only two major parties are capable of winning an election.

The atmosphere in Kenya was characterized by a perfect mixture of excitement and tension from a couple of weeks to the elections day up to the counting and declaration of the results. The sudden excitement was necessitated by the privilege of exercising their constitutional rights of choosing their leaders once again since the country adopted their new constitution which won them the praise and the admiration of the international community. On the other hand, the tension was caused by the looming threat of a possible return to the horrendous scenes of the 2007 elections based on the pockets of rioting and conflicts in key areas and the intensity of unguarded and intemperate snide remarks made by none other than key political actors.

After a close fought contest, Uhuru Kenyatta, who was also one of the deputy prime ministers in the coalition government obtained 50.07% to clinch a first round victory. His major contender, Raila Odinga, came second with 43.31%. According to the electoral commission, voter turnout was 88%.

The elections once again posed a major test to the sustainability and the resilience of Kenya’s Democracy. Nonetheless, the almost serene atmosphere in which the elections was conducted coupled with the high level of participation, the display of sheer fervor and civility in exercising the constitutional rights of voting, and the fact that few serious life-threatening incidents were recorded attest to the successful nature of the elections. It also lends credence to the willingness of Kenyans to secure a stable and more lasting democracy despite pockets of violence and rioting in some key areas of the country.

Alas, the success of this year’s elections has unburdened Kenyans of the guilt from the bloody violence that characterized the infamous 2007 elections and has started erasing the bad memories of 2007. It is quite obvious that many lessons were gleaned from their last abysmal performance at the polls and have been utilized as valuable ingredients for a recipe of wholesome and successful elections.

The country which was once the beacon of hope due to its political stability and enviable economic prosperity in a region plagued with dictatorship, poverty, famine and civil wars but suffered a massive setback during the 2007 elections is determined to reclaim its political and economic glory by working tirelessly towards the path of democratic consolidation and the deepening of democratic tenets using the just ended elections as a launch pad and a political springboard for successful future elections.

Kenyans can breathe a sigh of relief and pat themselves on the back after calmly but fearfully going through waves of escalating tension aggravated by the infamous call by the camp of the CORD party to halt the vote counting during tallying, citing “rampant illegality” across the entire election process and particularly flaws in the ballot count as the sole reasons for their threatening stance.

However, the decision by the defeated Raila Odinga and his CORD party to take their grievances to the courts which is now more independent is nothing but noble and an unequivocal manifestation of the country's willingness and determination to consolidate their democracy and make it work. This is a major plus for a country whose self-inflicted wounds in an unfortunate ghastly bloodbath after the 2007 elections are demonstrably far from healed. 

Indeed, it is a feather in the cap for Kenyans in a region where unfavorable electoral outcomes are hard to accept due to the polarized nature of the political climate worsened by the insidious and most reprehensible yet prevalent tribal us versus them attitude. 

The well acclaimed and much-vaunted success of this Kenyan election is not only a big feat for Kenya's democracy but for the entire African sub-region. For the country to emerge out of the recent election-induced tribal-motivated political turmoil to beat the odds to face and overcome yet another daunting, potentially explosive and passion-inflaming general elections serves as a perfect example for many other African countries struggling with the inevitable challenges of democracy.

Apart from the new constitution that created highly autonomous political structures essential for free and fair elections and important for democratic consolidation, the civil society organizations (CSOs), the media, NGOs, and the introduction of election-monitoring technological devices all contributed to the success of the Kenyan elections.

The excellent role played by the Kenyan media and the CSOs in ensuring smooth and transparent elections cannot be gainsaid. Effective civic education through both the print, broadcast, and the new internet social media went a long way to not only build a groundswell of enthusiasm among the populace, but importantly enlightened the voting public on the 'Dos' and 'Don'ts' of voting, as well as the dangers and penalties of electoral malpractices.

This no doubt contributed to the successful elections in no small way as people were repeatedly sensitized on the importance of political tolerance, the stoking effects of vitriolic speeches, and supremely the need to safeguard, protect and maintain the priceless national peace and unity they have striven hard to achieve to prevent another unnecessary mayhem.

The 2013 Kenyan general elections have ended peacefully unlike the last 2007-08 elections. The hubbub that accompanied its beginning through to its end has gradually faded away. Obviously, Kenya has learned vital lessons from this quadrennial but extremely important bellwether of the strength and resilience of any democracy. The vital political institutions have been tested and stretched to their limits without crumbling in the midst of a turbulent whirlwind of pressure from every angle. It is therefore no wonder that the successful nature of this election has ignited a flickering flame of hope in the hearts of Kenyans and lighted up their eyes with firmly grounded optimism about their democratic future.

It seems Kenyans can now confidently say a warm and permanent farewell to the depressing, distressing and dehumanizing era of electoral violence. It is now time to forge ahead into the future with optimism, hope and patriotism to accelerate the development of their beloved country in absolute democratic freedom.