The October 26, 2017 repeat presidential election, ordered by the Supreme Court after the nullification of the August vote, became one of the most controversial elections in Kenyan history. Raila Odinga withdrew from the race on October 10, declaring that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had failed to implement reforms necessary to ensure a credible election. His boycott left Uhuru Kenyatta running essentially unopposed, winning 98.27 percent of votes cast. However, voter turnout collapsed to 38.8 percent compared to 79.5 percent in August, raising profound questions about the election's legitimacy and deepening Kenya's political crisis.
Raila's decision to withdraw was based on the argument that the IEBC had not addressed the problems identified by the Supreme Court. His coalition, NASA (National Super Alliance), demanded personnel changes at the IEBC, reforms to the results transmission system, and international oversight of the repeat election. When the IEBC resisted wholesale changes and the government refused to postpone the election beyond the constitutional 60-day deadline, Raila concluded that participating would legitimize a flawed process. His withdrawal was strategic: it denied Uhuru the political legitimacy that comes from defeating an opponent, turning the election into a referendum on process rather than a competition between candidates.
The campaign period for the repeat election was violent and chaotic. Opposition strongholds, particularly in Luo areas of Nyanza and parts of Nairobi, saw intense protests against the election proceeding. Police killed dozens of demonstrators in Kisumu, Siaya, and Nairobi's informal settlements. In some opposition areas, NASA supporters prevented the IEBC from opening polling stations, making it impossible for any voting to occur. The violence recalled the 2007 Post-Election Violence, though on a smaller scale. The government deployed heavy security and insisted the election would proceed regardless of opposition boycotts or protests.
Uhuru won the October 26 election with 7.48 million votes, compared to 8.21 million in August, despite running against minor candidates rather than a serious opponent. The 98 percent vote share was a Pyrrhic victory, echoing the kind of results associated with authoritarian regimes rather than competitive democracies. More telling was the turnout collapse: in NASA strongholds like Nyanza, turnout was below 10 percent, while in Jubilee strongholds in Central Kenya, it exceeded 70 percent. The geographic pattern revealed a country divided not just politically but in its acceptance of the electoral process itself.
Raila initially refused to recognize Uhuru's victory, calling him a "dictator" and organizing a parallel "people's inauguration" in January 2018 where his supporters symbolically "swore him in" as the people's president. The government responded by switching off television stations that attempted to cover the event, arresting opposition politicians, and threatening treason charges. The standoff appeared headed toward prolonged political crisis, with NASA's western Kenya and coastal strongholds treating Uhuru's government as illegitimate. International observers were divided: some praised Kenya for holding the election within the constitutional timeline, others warned that the low turnout and opposition boycott undermined democratic legitimacy.
The repeat election's legacy was profound polarization and institutional damage. It demonstrated that court-ordered fresh elections could not solve political legitimacy crises if opposition parties refused to participate. It showed that Kikuyu-Kalenjin numerical dominance could deliver electoral victories but not national consensus. The violence in opposition areas deepened ethnic divisions. The IEBC was left weakened, with several commissioners resigning under pressure. Most importantly, the October 2017 election set the stage for the March 2018 handshake between Uhuru and Raila, as both men concluded that electoral competition alone could not resolve Kenya's political crisis.
See Also
- 2017 Election and Nullification
- Uhuru Kenyatta and the ICC
- Raila Odinga
- 2017 Presidential Election
- The Handshake March 2018
- Luo Political History
- Kikuyu Political Power
- 2007 Post-Election Violence
Sources
- "Kenya Election: Kenyatta Wins Repeat Vote Boycotted by Opposition," BBC News, October 30, 2017. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41809822
- "Kenya's Elections: The Cost of Political Polarization," International Crisis Group, December 2017. https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/kenya/kenyas-elections-cost-political-polarization
- Cheeseman, Nic and Gabrielle Lynch. "The Stakes Are High in Kenya's Repeat Presidential Election," The Washington Post, October 2017.
- "Kenyan Opposition Leader Raila Odinga Pulls Out of Election Re-Run," The Guardian, October 10, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/10/raila-odinga-kenya-presidential-election-rerun