24-year-old Cynthia Jepkosgey Muge won the Kilibwoni Ward on an independent ticket in Nandi. Photo: Courtesy. The recent Kenyan general elections have filled the international news with contestation around the presidential results. The legacy of the 2007/8 post-election crisis meant that these are likely to be one of the most observed general elections globally. In addition to national teams there were at least seven regional and international observer groups, resulting in over four thousand observers.
Largely unexamined outside Kenya is the fact that five other elections accompanied the presidential ballot. These included voting for a constituency member of parliament and a series of seats created under the current devolution governance arrangement. These are a county governor, senator, member of county assembly and a women’s representative that is an affirmative action elective position created by the 2010 Constitution. Four important observations arise from this.
Trust deficit
First, it is evident that a legacy of mistrust that emanates from the mismanagement of the disputed 2007/8 presidential elections cannot be resolved by a robust legal framework in the form of a constitution and/or the creation of a devolved system of government. Laws set out the principles and therefore procedure for how national institutions and individuals within them should function. However, there is a human factor that we assume will be disciplined by that system. Yet, experience shows us that the human factor remains a critical stumbling block.
