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The politics of ethnicity laid the groundwork for Mungiki.
Supreme Court judges at the installation of Kenya’s first woman chief justice, Martha Koome, in 2021.
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Kenya’s confidence crisis is a problem because people need to believe the judiciary is acting independently if it is to play its role.
Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta waves at a crowd.
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Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Daniel arap Moi set the tone for ethnic and authoritarian politics which Kenya has wrestled to free itself from in recent decades.
William Ruto (right) takes over from Uhuru Kenyatta as Kenya’s president in 2022.
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Kenya’s electoral agency is tasked with enhancing and supporting constitutional democracy – any dysfunctions would have dire consequences.
Motorcycle taxis queue for fuel in Nairobi in April amid shortages.
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With Uhuru Kenyatta leaving office to make way for a new leader, it was always going to be an eventful year for Kenya.
William Ruto (L, back row), Henry Kosgey (C, back row) and radio presenter Joshua Arap Sang (R, back row), at the ICC in 2011, charged in connection with post-election violence.
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The ICC can still reopen cases against President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta if it lands solid evidence.
Raila Odinga, the Azimio La Umoja (One Kenya Coalition Party) coalition presidential candidate.
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Odinga’s legal petitions have entrenched the rule of law and and deepened democracy in Kenya.
Kenyan President-elect William Ruto at a press conference after the Supreme Court decision.
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The 2022 election proved that the country’s situation and its people have changed since the violence that marred past elections.
William Ruto speaks after being declared the winner of Kenya’s close-fought presidential election.
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The division within the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the fact that the race was very close, and turnout was relatively low may increase incentives to challenge the results.
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Kenya is not unlike any other country where democratic deepening requires a ‘two-steps forward, one-step back’ outlook.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s supporters celebrate after the ICC dropped charges against him in 2014.
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Research in Kenya finds victims or witnesses to violence are less likely to buy into anti-International Criminal Court political narratives.
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.
The Supreme Court of Kenya in Nairobi.
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The country’s courts have already exhibited a significant level of maturity in rulings touching on the executive.
A man flees from teargas fired by anti-riot police in Nairobi after Kenya’s 2017 elections.
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To predict - and prevent - election-related violence, it’s important to first understand the key drivers of conflict.
A Kenyan policeman stands next to a painted sign reading “keep peace stop violence” during protests in Nairobi in 2008.
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Every five years, underlying ethnic rivalries are rekindled through songs, words, euphemisms, epithets and slurs.
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.
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.