Kenyan election finely balanced

Kenya goes to the polls on 8 August in an election that is too close to call between sitting President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, stoking fears that there may be violence if the result is not clear cut. Reports are emerging of myriad disruptions and the criticisms of both parties are ramping up as the European Union agreed to send in an observation body. Voters will be choosing a president, his deputy, members of parliament and local government officials. Most recently, President Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, have criticised the Judiciary’s handling of election-related cases. The two insisted that judges are working with the opposition in a scheme to have the polls scheduled for 8 August postponed. Kenya’s opposition has successfully challenged the contract to print ballot papers for the upcoming 8 August elections, after Kenya’s High Court cancelled the contract for a Dubai-based firm to print the papers. The opposition had argued the firm is linked to President Uhuru Kenyatta, so the contract process had been unfair. The three-judge panel said the claim of a President Kenyatta link to the firm could not be proved. But it said there was no public participation in the choice of Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing and that the electoral commission did not follow procurement rules. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had argued there is not enough time to issue the contract to another firm. The judges disagreed. President Kenyatta has denied the claims and accused the opposition of trying to sabotage the elections. Since then, nine people were beheaded by suspected al-Shabab militants, the internal security minister suddenly died and the main opposition leader was hospitalised with food poisoning. Reports from Kenya say these events underscore the immense challenges Kenya faces in combatting extremism and maintaining national security, while ensuring the elections will be free, fair, credible and peaceful. Last time around, the president won with just 50.07% of the vote. If neither leader gets an outright majority, there will be a run-off election, again sparking fears among observors of the risk of violence. Mr Odinga is heading an unprecedented opposition alliance in the hope of winning in his fourth run for the top job. The EU has also spoken out, warning against violence, saying everyone would lose if there is a return to the disorder experienced after the elections of 2008. It is sending an observation group to monitor events. Marietje Schaake, EU EOM Kenya 2017 chief observer, said: “A lot has changed since previous elections, which have left scars. The new constitution seeks to ensure a balance of power and the inclusion of minorities; it sees public participation as a value and includes important provisions on the inclusion of women. “It will be a key moment to see how the provisions foreseen in the constitution will play out in practice.” She added: “It is no secret there are concerns about the possible outbreak of violence. This is not inevitable and it is clear that this would create a situation where everyone loses. “There is a responsibility for each and everybody to grant each other the right and safety to vote according to his or her conscience, but this responsibility grows in proportion to the influence different actors have over the 2017 elections. “The fact that the EU has sought to deploy such a large mission is testimony to the significance of the 8 August elections.”

Kenyan election finely balanced

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