Kenya Election Re-Vote

Kenya Election is set for a re-vote after the Supreme Court no-show.

I am also currently taking Political Science 458 where we are examining the process of political development in third world countries. We are also each assigned to represent a member of the United Nations and I have been chosen to represent Kenya for this semester. With that being said, I am familiar and staying up to date with recent election crisis. The recent presidential election has been extremely controversial and brought about a lot of tension for the people. There were accusations of voting irregularities in the August 8th election and as a result, a re-vote will occur this week on Thursday. Today, not enough Supreme Court justices showed up for a session and Chief Justice David Maraga announced that, “the hearing on an emergency challenge to the vote could not proceed because only two justices were available, including himself” (cnn.com).  

The voting has gone through a lot of set backs and most recently the main opponent to President Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga, withdrew as a candidate. Back in August Kenyatta was declared the winner and as a result, his credibility was questioned and protested. Now Kenya remains on edge as the election has become more heated and more defiant. According to an article about the election on CNN, “Opposition supporters have clashed with the police, and the government has banned demonstrations in certain areas.” 

What’s more, now Raila Odinga is calling for a campaign of civil disobedience and resistance! Odigna, according to The Guardian, “told a crowd of several thousand supporters in the centre of Nairobi that the polls scheduled for Thursday were a “sham” and amounted to a coup d’etat by Kenyatta, and then told them not to vote.” What I find so interesting about this was that it occurred the night before the election and then Odigna is trying to stir up an even greater amount of civil disobedience. After this “motivational” call for a resistance against the re-vote by Odinga, incumbent President Kenyatta warned, “Let no one infringe on his brother or sister’s right [to vote]… Our security agencies have been deployed across the country to ensure the safety of each and every Kenyan” (The Guardian). 

On Tuesday night there was a gunman attack that is currently being viewed as an attempt to intimidate the judiciary. After the news by the Supreme Court, there were protestors that blocked off roads with borders, sticks, and burning tires in resistance of the statement by the supreme court. 

I have been wondering what exactly will make this second election an different than the first in regards to a true, fair, and non rigged vote. And that seems to be a major concern for the people of Kenya as well. The Guardian tells us, “Opposition leaders and supporters have said they do not believe the rerun will be fair, as none of the electoral reforms they have requested have been implemented.” It is devastating to watch the corruption, resistance, and suffering happening to the people of Kenya are enduring right now.

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/25/africa/kenya-election-rerun-court/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/25/raila-odinga-civil-resistance-eve-rerun-kenyan-election-presidential