The August 8, 2017, general election in Kenya saw incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta and running mate William Ruto secure victory over the NASA (National Super Alliance) opposition ticket led by Raila Odinga and running mate Kalonzo Musyoka. The IEBC announced results indicating that Kenyatta had won approximately 54% of the presidential vote (8.2 million votes) compared to Raila's approximately 45% (6.8 million votes), representing a more decisive margin than Kenyatta's 2013 victory. However, these results would ultimately be nullified by the Supreme Court, rendering the August 8 vote historically significant as the election that was subsequently overturned.
The August 8 campaign had been contentious, with both coalitions mobilizing supporters through extensive rally campaigns, television and radio advertisements, and digital media engagement. The Jubilee campaign emphasized economic progress under Kenyatta's first term, infrastructure development (particularly the Standard Gauge Railway), and continuity of government. The campaign characterized a Kenyatta victory as essential for economic stability and macroeconomic progress. The opposition NASA campaign, by contrast, emphasized accountability, institutional corruption allegations, and the need for change and political realignment.
Regional voting patterns in the August 8 results reflected continuities with 2013 voting behavior, albeit with important shifts in certain constituencies. Kenyatta performed overwhelmingly strongly in Central Kenya (Kikuyu regions), the Rift Valley (Kalenjin regions), and portions of the coast, achieving vote shares frequently exceeding 70% in these areas. Raila dominated in Luo, Luhya, and Kamba regions, though NASA's coalition character meant that regional strengths varied depending on the particular regions and alliance partners. The August 8 results thus demonstrated the persistence of regional ethnic voting patterns alongside strategic coalition-building by opposition forces.
The August 8 election was administered by the IEBC, which faced significant challenges including questions regarding credibility and management capacity following internal divisions and the assassination of ICT director Chris Msando just days before the election. The IEBC's deployment of electronic result transmission systems, learned from 2013 experience, attempted to accelerate results tabulation and reduce opportunities for result manipulation. However, the systems again faced reliability and security challenges, with allegations emerging that unauthorized access to electronic systems had occurred during result transmission.
Turnout on August 8 reached approximately 79%, indicating substantial voter engagement despite tensions and security concerns. The campaign period had been marked by violence in certain regions, with at least 90 deaths recorded during the campaign phase. The election day itself proceeded largely without catastrophic incidents, though elections observers reported polling station organization challenges and in some cases allegations of irregularities.
The August 8 results were initially announced through ongoing IEBC announcements beginning August 8 and culminating in official final results announced on August 11. The announcement process itself was contentious, with tensions between IEBC officials regarding result verification procedures and allegations that certain IEBC commissioners had raised concerns about the tabulation processes. These internal IEBC divisions presaged the subsequent Supreme Court nullification decision, which ultimately would vindicate the concerns that certain IEBC officials had raised regarding election administration violations.
The August 8 victory margin suggested that Kenyatta had assembled a more durable electoral coalition than in 2013. However, the subsequent Supreme Court nullification would retroactively render the August 8 victory legally invalid, meaning that the most decisive election victory in Kenya's history would be erased from the official electoral record and replaced by a contested rerun election wherein the opposition boycotted.
See Also
2017 Election 2017 Election Supreme Court Nullification 2017 Election October Re-run 2017 Election IEBC Crisis 2017 Election Results
Sources
- Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. (2017). August 8, 2017 General Elections: Official Results. Retrieved from https://www.iebc.or.ke/
- International Crisis Group. (2017). Kenya's 2017 Election: The August Vote and Its Aftermath. Retrieved from https://www.crisisgroup.org/
- European Union Election Observation Mission. (2017). Kenya 2017 General Elections: Interim Report. Retrieved from https://www.eueom.eu/