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In Kenya’s parliamentary system, lack of a clear party majority makes it hard for a president to deliver on election promises.
Kenya’s journalists have had a tumultuous relationship with Uhuru Kenyatta’s government.
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The relationship between the state and media soured just months into the Kenyatta regime.
William Ruto addresses his supporters during a campaign rally in Thika, Kenya, in August 2022.
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The centrality of religion as a governing principle is cause for concern given the reversals of women’s rights seen globally.
A section of Kenya’s Mau Forest complex that has been cleared for human settlement.
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Political interests have informed conservation policies in one of East Africa’s most important water towers, the Mau Forest Complex.
President Uhuru Kenyatta waves to supporters upon his arrival to take oath for second term on November 28, 2017. Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via
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The most prominent economic legacy of Kenyatta’s government is runaway public debt.
Kenyans queue to vote in the 9 August 2022 election.
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When people fail to exercise their right to vote, it increases the likelihood of political extremism and the pursuit of narrow interests.
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.
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.
Eight presidential candidates on stage during Kenya’s first presidential debate in 2013.
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In principle, political debates should showcase an aspiring leader’s vision. It’s a lofty goal given their current format in Kenya.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commander of Uganda’s land forces and President Yoweri Museveni’s son.
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The plan to replace Museveni with his son has dramatically shifted from rumour to reality in recent months.
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.
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Kibaki’s goals were to expand access to education, and to make universities more efficient and self-sustaining.
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.