Kenya has never held elections as complex, pivotal or potentially divisive as this year’s, which will see in a fresh president and a radical decentralization of power.
When voters go to the polls on 4 March, they will choose not only a head of state and MPs, but also the brand new positions of county governor, senator and local assembly representative, as well as a national assembly seat reserved for women.
Kenya’s last elections, held in December 2007, unleashed a wave of violence unprecedented in its scale, which led to the deaths of 1,300 people and the forced displacement of some 600,000 from their homes.
As a result of these clashes, the International Criminal Court has charged four Kenyans - including a leading presidential contender and his running mate - with alleged crimes against humanity. This is the first significant judicial intervention into repeated bouts of election-related violence in Kenya.
No Ordinary Elections: View web documentary
No Ordinary Elections, an IRIN multimedia documentary presents a detailed anatomy of Kenya through interviews with civil society experts, portraits of people from all walks of life, as well as a wealth of key data. Some of the pressing issues covered include:
Will devolution really bring power to the people?
What drives the divisions between Kenyan communities?
Why do Kenyan elections tend to trigger violence?
Is Kenya ready if it happens again?
Is there any justice for victims of such violence?
All the material in No Ordinary Elections may be reproduced free of charge, and we welcome feedback.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
