Kenya: Polls close August 8 without major incident /update 1

Event

General elections (presidential, legislative, and local) took place without major incident (few confrontations, minimal reported technical glitches) across Kenya on Wednesday, August 8. According to preliminary results, incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party is ahead of veteran challenger and former prime minister Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (NASA), with a margin of 55.4 percent to 43.9 percent, respectively. Kenyan law requires the winner of the presidential vote to receive over 50 percent of the vote in addition to at least one-quarter of all ballots in at least 24 of the country’s 47 counties. If this threshold is not met, the election goes to a run-off vote.

Controversy dominated the run-up to Tuesday’s vote as fictitious news reports, candidate accusations of electoral fraud, and the killing of a senior election official called into question the integrity of the election. Concerns over possible outbreaks of violence in the wake of the release of results, expected in the coming days (maximum one week), remain, and an estimated 180,000 police officers have been deployed to quell potential post-election violence.

Context

Recent elections in Kenya have been widely contested and marred with violence. Kenya's primary elections, which took place between April 13 and April 30, were marked by violence and numerous irregularities. More than 60 people were charged with electoral offenses following chaos and violence during party primaries. In Nairobi, one person was killed and another seriously injured during clashes between rival candidates. Presidential elections in 2007 were also marred by violence, resulting in an estimated 1200 deaths. Protests after elections in 2013, which were undermined by claims of fraud after many of the electronic voting systems failed, resulted in several deaths.

The electoral commission is scheduled to announce the preliminary results before August 15. The Supreme Court will then be given time to consider any appeals related to the initial results, with the final results expected to be released before October 5.

Advice

Individuals in Kenya are advised to avoid all public gatherings (particularly polling stations or political events) due to the risk of violence, to monitor the situation, and to stock up food and water. Some Western diplomatic authorities are advising their nationals in country to make personal contingency plans for the election period, including the days immediately following the announcement of election results. Additionally, those undertaking long-distance travel within the country are advised to consider traveling via plane (rather than by road) to minimize exposure to security threats.

On separate note, due to the significant terrorist threat, individuals present in Kenya are advised to remain vigilant, to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities, and to be particularly cautious when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (government buildings, places of worship, tourist sites, etc.).