Kenya, by contrast, is the magnet that has drawn newcomers into the East African Community, a regional bloc, including Rwanda as it still recovers from genocide, and the vast but misnamed Democratic Republic of Congo. An array of un agencies and multinational companies have made Nairobi, Kenya’s burgeoning capital, their regional base. It is not just the most influential and successful country in its region but is also arguably the third most important democracy in sub-Saharan Africa (after Nigeria and South Africa). That is why the cleanliness and orderliness of its election on August 9th matter so much.
The performance of Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya’s ruler for the past nine years, can be described as only adequate. He has lacked vision; some question his integrity. But he should be commended for stepping down after two terms, as the constitution requires. He will be Kenya’s third president in a row to do so, strengthening a cornerstone of democracy in the region.
Democracies require not just presidents who bow out, but elections that are seen to be free, fair and peaceful. Kenya’s record here is patchy. Since multi-party politics were re-established in 1992 several polls have been tainted by violence and allegations of vote-rigging. After a disputed vote in 2007 perhaps 1,400 people lost their lives in inter-ethnic fighting.
At least 16 people were killed after the most recent poll, in 2017, when the loser claimed the count had been fixed in favour of the incumbent. Fortunately, Kenya’s institutions held. Judges bravely stood up to the government, ordering a re-run after ruling that the electoral commission had failed to fulfil its “heavy yet noble” constitutional mandate. The killing did not spread. To avoid another bout of violence this time, it is crucial that the electoral commission oversee a transparently fair election and that its results be accepted by the losing candidates and their supporters.