Category: Election

In November 2016, I sat in a panel alongside a representative from the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Dean of Students, and a representative of the Egerton Egerton University Electoral Commission to discuss elections. The dialogue happened with close to 100 student leaders at Egerton University, Njoro Campus.  The institution was just one week away from holding student union elections. It was worth discussing electoral matters and reflecting on how university elections can be spaces for nurturing democracy. We discussed the electoral process, comparing national elections with college elections. Listening to the discussions, here are 5 representation issues that stood out for me:

a.  Quality of Representation

Maintaining communication between the electorates and elected officials matters to young people. On several occasions, it was noted that students who get elected lose touch with the electorates. When the electorates ask them to address an issue, they do not receive feedback on what happened and whether the matter has been presented to the relevant office. This is not peculiar to the college environment, out here, elected officials tend to lose contact with their electorates after clinching the elective seat. When the link between the elected and the electorates breaks, yet the former is elected to represent the latter in the decision-making process, the quality of representation is highly compromised; this is a big concern for young electorates.

b. Registration of Candidates

During national elections, all candidates are required to register with the IEBC. This enables the commission to certify that candidates meet all the requirements to run for their choice of elective posts. Likewise, Egerton University Electoral Commission requires students seeking to be elected as student leaders to register with the commission. The commission has set qualifications that students must meet in order to contest for an elective seat. In both cases, there are set timelines within which interested candidates are expected to submit their registration applications. Failure to meet these timelines leads to disqualification.

c. Feedback from Electoral Commission

Students who have expressed interest to vie for elective seats in the University but were unsuccessful expressed concerns that they did not receive feedback from the University Electoral Commission on the reason why they got disqualified. Emphasis was laid on the need to meet all the requirements provided by the commission before submitting the registration application. Even so, the IEBC representative underscored that for national elections, the law requires that candidates who are disqualified by the commission be notified of the reason for disqualification in writing. The representative of the Egerton Electoral Commission acknowledged that this has not been happening in the institution. He said this is a lesson learned for the commission and moving forward, it will endeavor to provide feedback to disqualified candidates. 

d. Electoral Malpractices

On both ends, it was noted that electoral malpractices. During national elections, candidates are required to keep off rigging or campaigning during election day. They are expected to avoid voter bribery or treating voters. Citizens on the other hand are not allowed to engage in malpractices such as taking ballot papers out of the polling station or voting multiple times among other malpractices. However, these malpractices are rife during elections and electoral commissions face an uphill task in the delivery of free, fair, credible, and transparent elections. 

College elections are a step in the right direction in terms of nurturing democratic practices among youth. However, there is still more to be done for the real benefits of democratic processes to be realized so that electorates hold leaders to account and those who seek to elective posts do so for the right reasons – to serve those who elect them.

Political parties bring people who share similar views on political activities or issues together to win an election. Across the globe, governments are formed through political parties. This explains why parties become very active in mobilizing voters and popularizing themselves ahead of any election. Ideally, political parties should attract and inspire people to support their cause by enrolling as members. They ought to resonate with concerns that citizens have and should unify or mediate citizens with diverse interests.

Since Kenya became independent, many changes have happened in political parties. These changes are more or less similar to what we are witnessing today. Here’s how political parties have evolved over time: 

#1 KANU takes Power

Upon independence in 1963, the Kenya African National Union (KANU) produced its first president, Jomo Kenyatta. KANU had been founded in 1944 to effectively articulate the grievances of Kenyans against the colonial government at the time. KANU was a product of a merger between the Kenya African Union (KAU), the Kenya Independence Movement (KIM), and the National People’s Convention Party.  In 1960, the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) was formed to challenge KANU. However, KADU dissolved and joined KANU voluntarily after independence, in 1964. 

#2 Ban of Opposition Parties

Even so, a smaller party, the Kenya People’s Union (KPU) formed in 1966 became the opposition. The party was later banned following political unrest and its leader was detained. No opposition party was registered after 1969, making KANU the only political party. After President Kenyatta’s death in 1978, his vice president, Daniel Moi, formerly a KADU member, took over as interim president. He became the president in October 1978 after being elected to head KANU. 

#3 The Single-Party State

The National Assembly passed an amendment to section 2A of the constitution in June 1982 making Kenya a single-party state in June 1982. This made KANU the only political party in the country, and the single-party reign was further reinforced during the 1988 elections.

#4 Return of Multiparty Democracy

The National Assembly repealed section 2A of the constitution in 1991 paving way for the formation of more political parties. By 1992, several parties had been formed and in December 1992, the first multiparty elections were held. KANU retained 55% of parliamentary seats with the rest going to opposition parties. The 1997 parliamentary reforms expanded Kenya’s democratic space with the number of registered political parties growing to 26 from just 11.  Since then, over 160 political parties have been registered with the likes of Ford Kenya, Ford Asili, and DP being formed during the Moi era and Narc, Ford people, SDP, Sisi kwa Sisi, Safina, etc in the run-up to the 2002 general election. 

#5 Regulation of Political Parties

After the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, in 2010, measures to control political parties were put in place through the Political Parties Act, of 2011. The Act puts in place measures that guide the formulation, management, and regulation of political parties to avoid mushrooming of parties allied to individuals and to prevent dishonest leaders from forming parties for monetary gains. The Office of Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) was established by the Act to implement and enforce the law.