October 2017 Kenyan presidential election

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October 2017 Kenyan presidential election
Flag of Kenya.svg
←  August 2017 26 October 2017 2022  →
Registered19,611,423
Turnout39.03% (Decrease2.svg 40.48pp)
  2017 22 Inauguration Ceremony -21 (32236367533) (cropped).jpg Accelerating Infrastructure Development Raila Amolo Odinga (8412050678) (cropped).jpg
Nominee Uhuru Kenyatta Raila Odinga (withdrew)
Party Jubilee ODM
Alliance NASA
Running mate William Ruto Kalonzo Musyoka
Popular vote7,483,89573,228
Percentage98.26%0.96%
October 2017 Kenyan presidential election by county.svg
Results by county
President before election

Uhuru Kenyatta
Jubilee

Elected President

Uhuru Kenyatta
Jubilee

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candidate Uhuru Kenyatta won 98.3% of the vote, defeating Orange Democratic Movement candidate Raila Odinga, who had withdrawn weeks before the election, believing that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had no intention of implementing reforms that would ensure a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.

Contents

Background

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

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

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

On 30 October the IEBC declared Kenyatta the winner of the elections. [15]

CandidateRunning matePartyVotes%
Uhuru Kenyatta William Ruto Jubilee Party 7,483,89598.26
Raila Odinga Kalonzo Musyoka National Super Alliance 73,2280.96
Ekuru Aukot Emmanuel NzaiThirdway Alliance Kenya21,3330.28
Abduba Dida Titus Ngetuny Alliance for Real Change 14,1070.19
Japheth KaluyuMuthiora KariaraIndependent8,2610.11
Michael WainainaMiriam MutuaIndependent6,0070.08
Joseph Nyagah Moses MarangoIndependent5,5540.07
Cyrus Jirongo Joseph Momanyi United Democratic Party3,8320.05
Total7,616,217100.00
Valid votes7,616,21799.51
Invalid/blank votes37,7130.49
Total votes7,653,930100.00
Registered voters/turnout19,611,42339.03
Source: IEBC

Aftermath

Supreme Court decision

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

As per the constitutional timelines, Kenyatta's second inauguration was conducted on 28 November 2017. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Kenya</span>

The politics of Kenya take place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the president is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system in accordance with a new constitution passed in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uhuru Kenyatta</span> President of Kenya from 2013 to 2022

Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. The son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, he previously served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalonzo Musyoka</span> 10th Vice President of Kenya

Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African National Union party (1980-1988), Assistant Minister for Works (1986-1988), Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (1988-1992), Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1993 until 1998, Minister of Education (1998-2001); and subsequently, under the late President Mwai Kibaki, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs again from 2003 to 2004, then Minister of the Environment from 2004 to 2005. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2007 presidential election, after which he was appointed vice-president by Kibaki in January 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Kenya</span>

Elections in Kenya take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President, Senate and National Assembly are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Kenya</span> Political party in Kenya

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Ruto</span> President of Kenya since 2022

William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected deputy president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Previously, holders of the position were referred to as Vice President and the officeholder was unelected and appointed by the President. He previously served in three cabinet portfolios as the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture and as Minister for Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musalia Mudavadi</span> Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya since 2022

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raila Odinga</span> Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013

Raila Amolo Odinga is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has been the Leader of Opposition in Kenya since 2013. He is the leader of Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Kenyan general election</span>

General elections were held in Kenya on 4 March 2013. Voters elected the President, members of the National Assembly and newly formed Senate. They were the first elections held under the new constitution, which was approved in a 2010 referendum, and were also the first run by the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). They coincided with the 2013 Kenyan local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission</span> Electoral commission of Kenya

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in the year 2011 through the making of the Constitution of Kenya. The Commission is responsible for conducting or supervising referendums and elections to any elective body or office established by the Constitution, and any other elections as prescribed by an Act of Parliament. It was created in a provision of the 2010 constitution and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act. Its mandate includes "the continuous registration of voters and revision of the voter's roll, the delimitation of constituencies and wards, the regulation of political parties process, the settlement of electoral disputes, the registration of candidates for elections, voter education, the facilitation of the observation, monitoring and evaluation of elections, the regulation of money spent by a candidate or party in respect of any election, the development of a code of conduct for candidates and parties, [and] the monitoring of compliance with legislation on nomination of candidates by parties."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court of Kenya</span> Highest court in Kenya

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguna Miguna</span> Canada-based Kenyan attorney and politician

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Kenyan general election</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Kenya handshake</span> 2018 political truce between two leading political factions

The 2018 Kenya handshake was a political truce made on the 9th of March 2018 between Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The two had been the leaders of opposing political factions amidst widespread political violence and civil unrest; they had previously faced one another in the contested 2017 Kenyan general election. Under the agreement, their political feud was resolved, with Kenyatta agreeing to support Odinga in the upcoming presidential elections. As a result, the Azimio coalition was formed, Uhuru became its chairman, and Odinga as the presidential candidate with Martha Karua as his running mate. They lost to William Ruto, who was Kenyatta's deputy at the time. They challenged Ruto's victory in the Supreme Court, however, Chief Justice Martha Koome said his claims did not meet the evidentiary threshold and dismissed the case. At a March 2023 protest in Nairobi they demanded an audit of the IEBC election servers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Kenyan general election</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Kenyan constitutional referendum attempt</span> 2021 political related event

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  1. Lack of National Ethos
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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wafula Chebukati</span> Kenyan Lawyer (born 1961)

Wafula Wanyonyi Chebukati is a Kenyan lawyer and a former chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which is responsible for overseeing elections in Kenya. Wafula Chebukati was appointed to the position on a six-year tenure in January 2017 by the retired President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta. Following his appointment in 2017, He succeeded Ahmed Issack Hassan. He retired on 17th January 2023 following the end of his term.

<i>Raila v IEBC</i> (2017)

Raila Odinga & another v Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission & others [2017] KESC 31 (KLR) was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Kenya that nullified the presidential results of the 2017 General Elections in Kenya. The petition was brought forward by Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, the National Super Alliance (NASA) candidates, challenging the legitimacy of Kenya's August 8, 2017, presidential election. They claimed that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and its chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, as well as Uhuru Kenyatta, the incumbent president and Jubilee Party candidate, committed irregularities during the election. They sought to overturn the election results and demanded a new election be conducted.

References

  1. ↑ Kenya presidential election cancelled by Supreme Court BBC News, 1 September 2017
  2. ↑ Kenya Supreme Court nullifies presidential election, orders new vote CNN, 1 September 2017
  3. ↑ Presidential Candidates Kenya Diaspora Vote
  4. ↑ Article 138 (4) Constitution of Kenya 2010
  5. ↑ Campbell, John. "What Went Wrong With Kenya's Elections?". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  6. ↑ Burke, Jason (2017-10-10). "Kenya: Raila Odinga withdraws from election rerun". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  7. ↑ "Kenya's Raila Odinga quits election re-run". 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Onyango, Protus. "Wafula Chebukati sets conditions for him to remain as IEBC chair". The Standard.
  11. ↑ Duggan, Briana; Karimi, Faith (October 20, 2017). "Under pressure, Kenyan election official takes leave before new vote". CNN Digital.
  12. ↑ Miriri, Duncan; Fick, Maggie (October 20, 2017). "Eyes on Odinga as Kenya election board CEO takes leave before vote". Reuters.
  13. ↑ Ndiso, John (October 24, 2017). "Kenya officials change way of announcing election results". Reuters.
  14. ↑ "News | Kenyans.co.ke". Archived from the original on 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  15. ↑ Houreld, Katharine; Miriri, Duncan (October 30, 2017). "Kenyan President Kenyatta wins 98 percent of vote in repeat election". Reuters.
  16. ↑ "Kenya's supreme court has upheld the reelection of president Uhuru Kenyatta" Quartz Africa, 20 November 2017
  17. ↑ "President Uhuru Kenyatta sworn-in for second term in office" Standard Digital, 28 November 2017
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