Kenya election 2022: the candidates, issues and role of money in a fierce contest
Kenyans
are gearing up for an important general election in August 9, 2022, which
brings to an end President Uhuru Kenyatta’s turbulent two terms.
It
will be the country’s seventh general election since the resumption of
multiparty electoral democracy 30 years ago. And it’s the third under the 2010
constitution. The progressive constitution was part of reforms designed to
address political animosities that ignited deadly election violence in 2007.
With
a population of 48 million, Kenya has 22 million registered voters. Nearly 40%
of these are young voters. Voters are required to simultaneously vote for a
president, senator, member of parliament, woman representative, county governor
and county assembly member.
Three
presidential candidates, out of the four cleared to run, have captured the
country’s imagination. Two are clearly ahead of the pack but there is no clear
front-runner. That there is no clear favourite to win after months of
campaigning is a credit to the competitiveness and relative freedom of the
democratic space. But it does mean that this will be a tense few days until a
decision is made on who will govern the East African economic powerhouse for
the next five years.
One
of the two leading candidates is Raila Odinga, a former prime minister who
leads one of the two main coalitions. The 77-year-old veteran Kenyan politician
is contesting the election for the fifth time. He has come close to victory
twice before. The 2007 poll result was hotly disputed, leading to widespread
violence in which 1,100 people were killed.
Odinga
is the son of post-independence Kenya’s first vice-president, Jaramogi Oginga
Odinga. Long seen as an anti-establishment candidate, Odinga has a common touch
that resonates with Kenyans who have felt locked out of the power matrix
controlled by two ethnic groups since independence in 1963 – the Kikuyu and
Kalenjin.
This
time, though, he is the establishment candidate.
The
other front-runner is William Ruto, 55. The sitting Deputy President is leader
of the United Democratic Alliance, the largest party under the Kenya Kwanza
(Kenya First) coalition. Against sustained pushback by the incumbent, Uhuru
Kenyatta, Ruto is determined to succeed him.
Ruto
has reinvented himself as the agent of class consciousness, an issue hitherto
absent in Kenya’s political discourse and competition. By rebranding him as the
antithesis of the status quo and personification of the hopes of the poor, his
messaging has resonated with the marginalised.
Ruto
frequently quotes the Bible. But this seemingly ecclesiastical bent masks a
consummate political strategist.
While George Wajackoyah of the Roots Party has captured the
public’s imagination, he and David Waihiga of the Agano Party are fringe
presidential aspirants. Fringe candidates play a significant role in testing
democratic spaces for maturity. Their often atypical ideologies and beliefs
give democracies a break from regular political themes.
Money
and the elections
Becoming
a politician in Kenya is financially very attractive. The salary paid to
politicians, plus fringe benefits like car, house and travel allowances,
offices and lifetime pension, are often too good to pass up. There’s another
factor that could be driving the interest in political power. It is likely that
the money going to counties from the national government will increase from 15%
of the country’s total revenue to 35%. For some, this is a good enough reason
to get into politics – to follow the money where it can be found, ostensibly to
serve society. The truth is often different.
The allure of elective office in turn fuels competition
between candidates. Some candidates are willing to outspend others during the
primaries of dominant parties or coalitions in order to secure a safe-seat
ticket. This is bad for democracy. The transactional nature of politics reduces
opportunities for debate and dialogue between elected officials and their
constituents.
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