Martha Karua addresses a rally. She is Raila Odinga’s running mate in Kenya’s August 2022 elections.
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Martha Karua’s selection as a deputy presidential candidate has helped put gender equality on the Kenyan election agenda.
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That there is no clear favourite to win shows the campaigning has been relatively free and competitive.
Kenyans take to the streets in the capital, Nairobi, to call for peaceful August 2022 elections.
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Patronage politics, a history of violent conflict and high-stakes elections increase the risks of poll violence in Kenya.
Uhuru Kenyatta (centre) holds hands with opinion polls’ favourites, Deputy President William Ruto (left) and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
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Kenya’s ethnic-based politics often leads to electoral violence that hurts regional trade.
Kenyans protest rising food prices and call for urgent government action in Nairobi in May 2022.
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The economy has taken centre stage in Kenya’s 2022 elections, but political promises have fallen short of offering realistic solutions.
A Kenyan elections official registers a voter’s details.
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The presence of fringe presidential contenders is a marker of maturing democracies.
A protest against police brutality outside parliament buildings in Nairobi.
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A host of problems are behind police failures, including poor evidence gathering and the mistreatment of witnesses.
Veteran Kenyan politician Raila Odinga is making his fifth stab at the presidency.
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Odinga is considered a master strategist, sometimes populist and excellent mobiliser.
William Ruto
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As an outlier in Kenya’s political power matrix, Ruto was elbowed out by the establishment. But he has somersaulted back by appealing directly to the masses.
Kenya’s first ever face-to-face presidential debate screened ahead of elections in 2013 won by Uhuru Kenyatta (on screen).
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Elites have strong incentives to foment violence. The way they speak about election issues in the media can inflame tensions.
William Ruto at the International Criminal Court in May 2013.
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For the ICC, the case against Paul Gicheru represents the possibility for the court to clock a win where so far it has only suffered losses.
Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja’s impromptu address in the streets of Nairobi is captured on smart phones.
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Twitter will be part of many Kenyan candidates’ campaign activities ahead of the August 2022 elections.
Law Society of Kenya official Mercy Wambua holds a placard at the Supreme Court in Nairobi after a protest over government disobedience of court orders.
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Constitutional amendments sought to make it easy for Kenyatta and Odinga to craft a broad tribal coalition against the deputy president.
Kenya’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta attends a ceremony in 1964 in Nairobi.
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Far from the myth of the omnipotent father of the nation, big man or dictator, the Kenyan presidential system was built on divisions and uncertainty.
Former President Mwai Kibaki [centre] smiles after being handed the new constitution document by former Attorney General, Amos Wako [right] in 2010.
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For democracy to work in Kenya the country needs good leadership. Politicians must uphold the constitution to infuse trust and confidence in state institutions.
A Kenyan LGBT activist campaigning for a change to the country’s Penal Code.
EPA-EFE/Dai Kurokawa
The High Court’s ruling goes against the trend of greater liberalisation in a number of African countries.
Supporters of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo celebrate on the announcement of his acquittal.
EPA-EFE/Legnan Koula
The ICC is meant to be a Court of last resort, to ensure justice for victims and to end impunity. It’s not living up to these promises.
Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo (right) in the ICC courtroom during his trial in 2016.
EPA/Michael Kooren
Sexual violence, a staple of war, has long been absent from international criminal law’s charge sheets.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with opposition leader Raila Odinga in March.
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Questions are being raised about the Kenyatta and Odinga relationship.
An elderly woman votes in Kenya. The presidential results have since been contested.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
Kenya’s recently concluded general election has been described as a mixed bag of highs and the lows being the deadly clashes.