Kenyans Cast Their Ballots

On August 8, 2017, Kenyans went to polling stations to cast their ballots in the country's 2017 General Elections. They will be electing a new president, members of parliament, and some other local representatives, within the framework of the country's six level central and local administrative system. For presidential position, there are two contesting candidates, the incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta and his arch-rival Raila Odinga. Both candidates are sons of Kenya's political titans. Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of the first president of Kenya Jomo Kenyatta, while Raila Odinga is the son of the first vice-president of the country Odinga Odinga. Also, Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga hail from some of the most influential tribes in Kenya,

namely Kikuyu and Luo respectively, albeit that is unlikely to have any significance to the outcome of the elections given the fact that there are 45 officially recognized tribes in the country. Both presidential candidates will need votes from beyond their tribes' boundaries to win it! This fact seems to be quite understood by the candidates as shown by the multi-tribal political party coalitions they represent. Previous general elections in Kenya were characterized by deadly post-election violence that left many people dead and geographically displaced, particularly in the north-western part of the country. Like in some other African countries, post-election violence in Kenya has been attributed to refusal by losers to concede defeat, that in turn triggers violent response from their supporters. Whether history will repeat itself in the current elections in Kenya is difficult to say. There is, however, some degree of optimism that things may be different on this occasion, as both presidential candidates have publicly said they will concede defeat if they lose. Read more http://www.enca.com/africa/kenyans-begin-voting-in-tense-general-elections ___________________________ © 2015 - 2017 Africa Up To Date. All Rights Reserved