Kenya’s electoral commission faced many legal challenges before the general election, and yet another after the poll. But how will the Supreme Court’s historic ruling impact the country’s democracy?
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga reacts after the Supreme Court declares the election invalid.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
Kenya’s Supreme Court landmark ruling has opened the door to robust conversation around the country’s nascent democracy, paving the way for rule of law and stronger institutions.
Kenya’s Supreme Court President and Chief Justice David Maraga (centre) nullified the presidential election.
Reuters/Baz Ratner
For decades, power in Kenya has lain with the government and administrative organisations that serve it. The Supreme Court’s decision calling for a new election suggests that this may have changed.
Opposition Kenyan leader Raila Odinga speaks out after the election was declared invalid.
Reuters/Baz Ratner
By failing to provide details on what invalidated Kenya’s election, the country’s Supreme Court has created an impossible timeline for organising re-elections within 60 days.
Kenyan authorities have arrested two WhatsApp group administrators for alleged hate speech.
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One way to diffuse the tension when Kenyans choose a head of state is to take that decision out of their hands. This could help achieve ethnic cohesion.
Political messaging through fake news featured during Kenya’s recent general election.
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Some might see Kenya’s presidential election petition as ‘nuisance legislation’. But legal arbitration must be encouraged as an audit to the democratic process.
Kenyan policemen in Kibera. The media stands accused of refusing to cover post-election tensions comprehensively.
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Kenya’s press has admitted to self-censorship after the August 8th poll to avoid a repeat of 2008’s post-election violence. But by refusing to inform the public has the media lost credibility?
A woman stands behind policemen during post election clashes, in Nairobi’s Kibera slum.
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Much international media focus has been on Kenya’s election being a trigger for violence, but that’s only part of the story. The ongoing grievances of Kenyans must be addressed.
Kenyan papers the day after the polls closed.
EPA/Daniel Irungu
Kenya has just gone through a charged campaign period, followed by a contested election result. The media has been out in force covering it all. But did they do a good job?
People queued to cast their votes in Kenya’s election. The final results have yet to be released.
Siegfried Modola/Reuters
In Kenya, the overwhelming majority of political contributions come from a tiny number of individuals. This model of financing turns politics into a high-stakes game that very often turns violent.
AMISOM and Somalia army soldiers after their advance on three Al-Shabaab controlled towns in the Lower Shabelle region.
AU-UN IST Photo / Tobin Jones
It’s unclear exactly when Kenya’s next president will begin the process of withdrawing troops from Somalia. If it’s too rushed, the move might destabilise the region.
Despite their scepticism, Kenyan voters come out in large numbers to cast their ballots.
EPA/Dai Kurokawa
Kenya’s history of electoral problems is interwoven with a political drama which pits one dynasty against another in a rivalry that goes back more than 50 years.
Election campaign posters in Kibera slum, Nairobi, ahead of the upcomig polls.
EPA/Dai Kurokawa
The two main candidates in Kenya’s election are incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and the opposition’s Raila Odinga. Polls have them neck-and-neck. Here’s what you need to know about the key issues.
Integration within the East African Community has been sticky. The fact that Kenya’s main political parties haven’t spelled out their policies on the community in their manifestos is a worry.
Rivals in the Kenya election Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and Raila Odinga.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Although some complain that the differences between Kenyatta and Odinga are more rhetorical than real, one thing is clear: Kenyans have a real choice to make at the ballot box.
Kenya abolished primary school fees in January 2003.