The October 26, 2017, repeat presidential election, ordered following the Supreme Court's nullification of the August 8 vote, proceeded under conditions of political boycott by the opposition NASA coalition and dramatically reduced voter turnout. The October re-run was held within the 60-day window mandated by the Supreme Court's nullification order, requiring the IEBC to organize a new election on an accelerated timeline. However, the opposition's decision to boycott the election transformed the re-run from a competitive contest into a walkover victory for incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, wherein the incumbent achieved approximately 98% of votes in the context of turnout declining to roughly 40% compared to the August vote's 79% turnout.
The opposition NASA coalition's boycott of the October 26 re-run represented a fundamental political calculation that participating in the repeat election without addressing underlying IEBC credibility concerns would implicitly validate an institution that had failed to administer the August 8 election according to constitutional standards. The boycott was led by Raila Odinga, who argued that the IEBC had not implemented sufficient reforms to address the institutional vulnerabilities that the Supreme Court had identified. The boycott messaging emphasized that participating in an election administered by an unreformed and discredited institution would be politically counterproductive and would implicitly accept the compromised electoral process.
The Jubilee coalition, by contrast, characterized the October re-run as a necessary constitutional process through which to obtain a valid election result and legitimacy for a second Kenyatta term. The Jubilee campaign attempted to mobilize supporters to turn out for the October 26 vote despite the boycott context. However, the boycott's impact on turnout was substantial: voters from opposition-aligned regions largely stayed home rather than participate in an election that the opposition leadership had rejected. The geographic distribution of October turnout thus reflected regional boycott patterns, with opposition strongholds exhibiting dramatically lower turnout than Jubilee-aligned regions.
The IEBC's preparation for the October re-run faced severe time constraints. The 60-day period between the nullification order and the scheduled re-run election provided limited opportunity for the commission to undertake comprehensive institutional reforms. The IEBC made incremental adjustments, including modifications to electronic transmission protocols, enhanced security measures, and management changes. However, observers and opposition actors argued that these modifications were insufficient to address the underlying institutional vulnerabilities that the Supreme Court had identified.
The October 26 election proceeded with similar administrative procedures to the August 8 vote but in a dramatically different political context. With the opposition effectively removed from the contest, the October re-run lacked the competitive character of the August 8 election. The repeat election thus became a procedural exercise through which to generate a second electoral mandate, rather than a contested contest between competing visions for Kenya's future. This procedural character meant that the October result, while legally valid, lacked the political legitimacy that competitive elections typically possess.
The IEBC's announcement of October re-run results indicated that Kenyatta had won with approximately 98% of valid votes cast. The overwhelming margin, while mathematically more decisive than the August vote's 54% result, was politically hollow given the boycott context and low turnout. International observers noted that while the October election had proceeded without significant administrative incidents, the boycott meant that the legitimacy of the election outcome was questionable and that the returned government would lack opposition participation in democratic contestation.
The October boycott and re-run election triggered international diplomatic tension. Some Western governments expressed concern that the election was proceeding without opposition participation and questioned whether the outcome could be considered legitimate. However, other international actors focused on commending Kenya for conducting a second election and for the Supreme Court's willingness to enforce constitutional constraints on elections. These divergent international responses reflected different perspectives on whether the October re-run enhanced or diminished Kenya's democratic trajectory.
The October election's political aftermath proved crucial. Rather than consolidating Kenyatta's power and ending the electoral crisis, the October victory created conditions for the March 2018 handshake between Uhuru and Raila, wherein the two rivals abandoned electoral competition and committed to joint governance. The October boycott and Uhuru's procedurally-valid but politically-controversial re-election thus set the stage for political reconciliation that would reshape Kenyan politics fundamentally.
See Also
2017 Election 2017 Election Supreme Court Nullification 2017 Election Raila Boycott 2017 Election August 8 Vote 2017 Election Handshake Prelude
Sources
- Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. (2017). October 26, 2017 General Elections: Official Results. Retrieved from https://www.iebc.or.ke/
- International Crisis Group. (2017). Kenya's Political Crisis: From Election Nullification to Reconciliation. Retrieved from https://www.crisisgroup.org/
- European Union Election Observation Mission. (2017). Kenya 2017: October Re-run Election Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.eueom.eu/