{"id":83074,"date":"2022-08-01T14:50:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T14:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theoutlier.co.za\/?p=83074"},"modified":"2025-11-17T17:43:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T17:43:03","slug":"how-do-kenyas-elections-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/2022\/08\/01\/how-do-kenyas-elections-work\/","title":{"rendered":"With Kenyatta\u2019s time in office coming to an end, how do Kenya\u2019s elections work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Kenyans will head to the polls on 9 August 2022 to elect a new president. But that is just one of five ballot papers. They are also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iebc.or.ke\/uploads\/resources\/NiT8sE33CA.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voting<\/a>\u00a0for members of the national assembly, female national assembly representatives, senators, county representatives and governors \u2013 six ballot papers in all \u2013 but we will only focus on one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kenya has had four presidents since independence in 1964.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width:100%!;margin-top:4px!important;text-align:right!important\"><a class=\"flourish-credit\" href=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/10795869\/?utm_source=embed&amp;utm_campaign=visualisation\/10795869\" target=\"_top\" style=\"text-decoration:none!important\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Made with Flourish\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/made_with_flourish.svg\" style=\"width:105px!important;height:16px!important;border:none!important;margin:0!important\"> <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vying for the presidency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Four candidates are running for president in Kenya this month<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Raila Odinga<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David Waihiga Mwaure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>William Ruto<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>George Wajackoyah<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Raila Odinga<\/strong>\u00a0from the Orange Democratic Movement served as the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Raila-Odinga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Prime Minister of Kenya<\/a>\u00a0from 2008 to 2013. He has run unsuccessfully for presidency\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-africa-21587054\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four times<\/a>.\u00a0 Uhuru Kenyatta, Odinga\u2019s former rival, has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4Nf6PZ8lTEE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">endorsed Odinga<\/a>\u00a0for this year\u2019s election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kenyatta defeated Odinga in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/s3.sourceafrica.net\/documents\/119942\/IEBC-Data-Report-of-2017-Elections-April-2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8 August 2017<\/a>&nbsp;elections with 54% of the vote compared to Odinga 44.7%. But a court ruling nullified the election results, and it was rerun on 26 October 2017. Kenyatta then won 98% of the vote after&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notion.so\/Kenya-Elections-primer-39e9df71271e445ab8e1c4cc01eda60b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Odinga<\/a> withdrew from the election rerun in protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>David Waihiga Mwaure <\/strong>from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aganoparty.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Agano<\/a>\u00a0Party is a lawyer and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dmwaurewaihiga\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">minister<\/a>. Mwaure ran unsuccessfully for the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenyans.co.ke\/news\/77110-anne-mwaure-little-known-details-david-waihigas-wife\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">presidency<\/a> in 2013. His party, Agano, was formed in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>William Ruto<\/strong>, who has been\u00a0Kenya\u2019s deputy president since 2013, is also a candidate for the presidency this year as a member of the newly formed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uda.ke\/site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">United Democratic Alliance<\/a>. Ruto was previously a member of KANU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, lastly,\u00a0Professor<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/africacheck.org\/fact-checks\/reports\/ganjanomics-fact-checking-kenyan-presidential-candidate-george-wajackoyahs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George Wajackoyah<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from the Roots Party Kenya. One of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/africacheck.org\/fact-checks\/reports\/ganjanomics-fact-checking-kenyan-presidential-candidate-george-wajackoyahs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wajackoyah<\/a>&#8216;s presidential campaigns is to decriminalise marijuana and farm it for sale and export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to become the president<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Parliamentary and presidential elections are held by secret ballot on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.constituteproject.org\/constitution\/Kenya_2010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second Tuesday<\/a>&nbsp;in August every five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constituteproject.org\/constitution\/Kenya_2010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Registered voters<\/a>\u00a0(and candidates) are adult citizens who have &#8216;not [been] declared to be of unsound mind&#8217; and have not been convicted of an election offence in the past five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Presidential candidates are either&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.constituteproject.org\/constitution\/Kenya_2010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nominated<\/a>&nbsp;by a political party or run as independent candidates but each must have 2,000 votes from a majority of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mappr.co\/counties\/counties-of-kenya\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">47<\/a>&nbsp;counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A person is only elected president of Kenya if<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They win more than half of the votes in the election<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And win at least 25% of the vote in half of the counties<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>After Kenya elects a president, the president cannot hold office for more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.constituteproject.org\/constitution\/Kenya_2010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two five-year terms<\/a>. If no presidential candidate wins the election outright, a new election will happen within 30 days, with only the candidates with the highest number of votes contesting the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Requirements to be a presidential candidate,<\/strong>&nbsp;according to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iebc.or.ke\/registration\/?aspirant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Independent Electoral Boundaries and Commission<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kenyan citizenship<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recognised university degree<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nominated by a political party or an independent candidate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No allegiance to a foreign state<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must not have abused or misused the state of public office<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Voter turnout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kenya has a population of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SP.POP.TOTL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">54.9-million<\/a>, of which 28.9-million are over the age of 18. This year,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notion.so\/Kenya-Elections-primer-39e9df71271e445ab8e1c4cc01eda60b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">22-million<\/a>\u00a0Kenyans, 76% of the eligible voters, have registered to vote in the August elections \u2013 2.5-million more than in the 2017 elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/Where-are-Kenyas-registered-voters_Piece-600x600.png\" alt=\"Map showing where Kenya's registered voters live\" class=\"wp-image-83089\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The voter turnout in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2017_Kenyan_general_election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8 August 2017 election<\/a>&nbsp;was 77%, but in the October rerun only 39% of the registered voters cast valid votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2013, the voter turnout was 86%. In 2007, it was 69%, and in 2002, it was 56%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/editor.mediahack.co.za\/theoutlier\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/Kenyan-elections_v2-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-83077\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All in all, there are 90 political parties putting forward candidates for the other electable positions on the national assembly, senate, county assemblies and governorship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And how many voters have voted in the elections since 2002?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,446,8,1387],"tags":[154,132,171,172],"newsletter-post":[],"site":[],"class_list":["post-83074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-governance","category-news","category-politics","category-the-outlier","tag-elections","tag-kenya","tag-raila-odinga","tag-uhuru-kenyatta"],"acf":{"big_number":null,"big_number_caption":null,"big_number_link":null,"big_number_background":null,"big_number_text_colour":null,"big_number_icon":null,"big_number_wide":null,"featured_chart":null,"flourish_chart_id":null,"flourish_sub_title":null,"flourish_chart_width":null,"is_newsletter_post":null,"post_style":null,"show_on_front":null,"link_through":null,"chart_url":null,"background_colour":null,"text_colour":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83074"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86607,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83074\/revisions\/86607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83074"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter-post?post=83074"},{"taxonomy":"site","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site?post=83074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}