This report has been prepared for the Kura Yangu Sauti Yangu (KYSY) electoral platform, which actively monitors the electoral process, engages key stakeholders, and facilitates dialogue amongst a broad array of stakeholders to promote credible elections.
It is the latest report in a series examining the management of the 2017 elections in Kenya. It focuses on the conduct of the August 2017 presidential election and its aftermath, in particular the historic petition that saw the annulment of that election result by the Supreme Court of Kenya.
Repeated problematic elections, and the failure or refusal to implement necessary changes, are at the root of Kenya’s governance problems. Kura Yangu Sauti Yangu believes that a thorough electoral overhaul is essential if Kenya is ever to escape the unending cycle of impunity, violence, and endemic corruption that continues to plague it. In order to promote this, KYSY highlights the challenges and pitfalls facing the electoral process and makes recommendations to resolve them.
The year 2017 can be regarded as a watershed in the efforts to achieve electoral reform. However, if concerted efforts are not made to seize the opportunities afforded by developments then and since, Kenyans will once again be disappointed in their decades-long struggle for lasting transformation in the way that Kenya’s elections are managed.