Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) shakes hands with the opposition coalition leader Raila Odinga to symbolise a truce in March 2018.
Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
Even in the most tense and dangerous of moments, the elite has found a way to come back together.
Supporters of Zambia’s president-elect Edgar Lungu in 2016. The country is known for peaceful polls, but this one was marked by clashes.
Dawood Salim/AFP via Getty Images
Political legacies generated during authoritarian rule have a tendency to transcend into the multiparty era.
Malawi’s President elect Peter Mutharika waves to supporters during the swearing in ceremony in Blantyre in May last year after the contentious poll.
AMOS Gumulira/AFP via Getty Images
Across Africa, mainstream media have traditionally been the unrivalled custodians and originators of the public agenda. But this year social media took over as a new regime of information.
A strong judiciary isn’t enough to keep democracy in place. Kenya’s Supreme Court decision nullifying the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta is a case in point.
Reuters/Baz Ratner
The past 12 months provided further evidence of the danger of democratic backsliding in Africa. But it also saw powerful presidents suffer embarrassing setbacks in a number of countries.
Kenyan opposition supporter is confronted by policy during clashes in Nairobi.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Elections, even free and competitive ones, don’t always mean that a country is more democratic. Instead of weakening the elite’s grip on power, elections might actually make them stronger.
Don’t forget us: the UK’s minster for Africa, Rory Stewart.
FCO via Flickr
Raila Odinga has been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy and upholding the rule of law in Kenya. His latest battles are bound to cement his legacy as a progressive force for good.
An opposition supporter in Nairobi’s Mathare area.
Siegfried Modola/Reuters
Key institutions steering Kenya’s election have evidently broken down, leaving the country open to an iron fist to reestablish political stability by any means necessary.
National Super Alliance supporters demonstrating for the sacking of election officials involved in August’s cancelled presidential vote.
Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
Despite avenues for legal redress, the solution to Kenya’s constitutional crisis is political. The leadership on both sides of the political divide must reach an agreement for the sake of the nation.
An elderly woman displays her inked finger after casting her vote during the 2016 presidential elections in Uganda.
Reuters/James Akena
The outcome of the race between increasingly artful electoral manipulation and limitless possible manifestations of democratic expression is never entirely certain.
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga announced his exit from the re-run of the presidential election scheduled for October 26.
Reuters/Baz Ratner
Kenya’s upcoming poll will continue despite opposition leader Raila Odinga’s decision to exit lawful processes prematurely. This will mean Kenyatta will likely win his second term in a row.
A supporter of the opposition leader Raila Odinga faces off against riot police officers during a protest in Nairobi.
Dai Kurokawa/EPA
Elections in Kenya are never just a matter of casting ballots. Historically, they have been marred by ethno-political violence, exacerbated by vigilantes and militias deployed by politicians.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta waves as he leaves a campaign rally in the capital.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
While Kenya’s political leaders often adopt a populist approach to politics, it’s not unimaginable that the courts could also pursue a populist path by claiming to speak for the people.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and contender Raila Odinga in happier times. The two are now embroiled in a bitter political contest.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Democracy doesn’t seem to work within societies governed by politics of ethnicity. Instead, elections continue to offer up the hard choice between electoral credibility and political stability.