- Electoral violence in Kenya undermines democracy by discouraging voter participation, limiting aspirant engagement, and eroding public confidence in electoral institutions.
- Protecting the rights of voters, candidates, and electoral officials is essential to ensure free, fair, and credible elections that consolidate Kenya’s democratic gains.
- Kenya must break the cycle of political violence and embrace competitive, idea-driven politics to safeguard its future leadership and national cohesion.
Elections form the foundation upon which democracy is anchored. How regular, transparent, free and fair they are, determine how strong democracy stands. International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as well as Article 81(e) of the Constitution provide for the citizens’ right to vote and to be elected in elections free from violence, intimidation, improper influence or corruption. In the face of this strong legal guarantee is the eminent threat of electoral violence that has characterized Kenya’s electoral and political processes since the reintroduction of multiparty.
Elections is a participatory process of voters, aspirants and electoral management body as primary parties without whom, there can be no elections. Other stakeholders who also play critical roles include the security personnel, media and observers, among others Violence or threat of it, directly and indirectly compromise free and meaningful participation of these parties and stakeholders. Due to fear of harm, voters, especially women, the elderly, the disabled and the sick may choose to stay away from political activities for their safety. If they do during campaigns, they lose the opportunity to interrogate the aspirants on their policies. If they keep off the polls, voter apathy sets in. The electorates then forfeit their power to shape the affairs of the state and society. On the other hand, the aspirants lose the opportunity to articulate their programs to the widest audience. In addition, they also suffer from legitimacy since the minority elects them. This state of affairs highly undermines democracy.
Free will to run for elections is an important element of democracy. It serves to complete the inalienable right to vote. Without aspirants, there would be no one to vote for. When more candidates offer themselves for elections, it demonstrates an expansive democratic space. It also offers the electorates a wider pool of leaders to choose from. This makes the electoral process more competitive and in the end, the most preferred leaders are accorded the opportunity to govern. This benefit, is however, highly compromised by violence against potential contenders of perceived political opponents. Due to fear, some candidates may reconsider their political ambitions and affiliations. This shrinks the democratic space and undermines the democratic principles of free and fair elections. It also offends inclusivity and gender principles in the constitution and slows down the efforts to achieve the two-thirds gender rule. The youth should be accorded a conducive environment to exploit their skills and energy. They symbolizes the continuity and posterity. When they shy away from politics, governance and elections, due to violence, our future becomes bleak and uncertain. This is due to missing out on mentorship and opportunity to gain hands on experience necessary for leadership.
Electoral officials have not been speared by the violence. They have equally been on the receiving end just like the other victims. Some of them have paid the ultimate price while others have been left with lifelong scars of violations. During the 2017 elections, one of the aspirants allegedly assaulted the official of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over collation of votes in Kandara Constituency. A few days before these elections, the IEBC lost its ICT Director Mr. Chris Musando under mysterious circumstances. During the 2022, the commission also lost its Returning Officer for Embakasi East Constituency. In the course these polls, the IEBC also reported that some of its Commissioners and CEO had been attacked at the Bomas of Kenya during the tallying and announcement of Presidential elections. To date, what led to the mysterious deaths of these senior election officials is yet to be made public. Although the deaths are not explicitly linked to their roles in the polls, the same cannot be ignored or ruled out.
The electoral officials play the singular role of overseeing the polls. Their conduct directly affects the perceived and actual credibility of the electoral process and outcomes. Election results in favour of an aspirant accused of violence against electoral officials even if they are accurate are likely to be discredited by the opponents on account of coercion or intimidation. This erodes public confidence in the commission and undermines its institutional independence. The obligations the commission shoulders form part of the glue that binds our nation together that if not diligently discharged can plunge us into anarchy and crisis. The violence visited on them should thus, be treated as a serious threat to national security.
After the general elections of 2007, we experienced the most violent elections in our history, to date. As a result, the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence (CIPEV), commonly known as the Waki Commission was set up to interrogate the circumstances related to the violence that rocked the country. The CIPEV reported that 1,133 lives were lost while other 3,561 people suffered various forms of injuries. In addition, hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes and properties worth fortunes destroyed across the country.
To avoid a repeat of what befell the country in 2007/08, CIPEV made far reaching legal and policy recommendations. Some of these have informed the current legal and policy framework that guide the conduct of our electoral and political processes. Despite the dark history and the enhanced legal and policy framework, the subsequent elections have not been different. They have been marred with different forms and degrees of violence, intimidation, destruction of properties and visible threats. This old bad habit has rejected the prescribed medication and therapy. Indeed, old habits die slowly.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 37 Kenyans lost their lives following 2017 elections. In 2022, it documented that 7 Kenyans died due to electoral violence. Among these included the mysterious death of the Returning Officer for Embakasi East Constituency in Nairobi. In November 2025, the Police reported that at least two lives were lost while many other citizens suffered injuries during the Kasipul by elections campaigns. The same trend of violence obtained in a few other places that also had mini polls. Besides deaths, there have been various forms of violence in nearly all electoral processes. According to the KNCHR, 2013, 2017 and 2022 general elections were marred with threats and actual violence. In 2013, a KNCHR officer also became a victim when he attempted to record an Aspirant who was allegedly bribing voters in Nairobi’s Dandora area. In the past few weeks, political violence has been witnessed in Kisii, Othaya, Kitengela and Kakamega where loss of at least two lives and injuries of many others have been reported under circumstances allegedly related to political violence. Most unfortunately, the perpetrators have now extended the vice to solemn spaces and occasions like worship areas and funerals. This trend should make all of us hungry and disturbed.
In August 2027, Kenya will be holding its fourth general election and fifth presidential election under the 2010 constitution. In readiness for this key political process, political parties and aspirants have commenced alignments, realignments, lobbying and campaigns in a bid to enhance their visibility, power, capital, and win over the minds, hearts and support of the electorates. This buildup of political heat has brought with it violence resulting to injuries and loss of lives. The violence has affected all, both in the mainstream as well as in the periphery from across the political divide. This has come too early. We still have more than a year before elections are called. It is a tragedy if we drop the ball. We cannot afford it. We must break the cycle of violence and undergo an urgent political resocialization. We must abandon and unlearn the retrogressive culture of violence and embrace ideological-competitive politics where the candidates with the most progressive ideas win, not the ones with the deadliest goons. Otherwise, if we continue this slippery route, we are headed into anarchy and run the risk of clawing back the democratic gains we have so far gained.
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The Author is a Criminologist, Certified Security Risk Management Professional and Faculty Member at Brand Institute of Forensic and Security Studies. Email: okirodaniel@gmail.com
