Kenya's 2013 elections: Glass half full or half empty?

Kenya’s recent elections elicited mixed reactions. For some, the peaceful nature of the poll and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the choice of Uhuru Kenyatta as president reflected the country’s consolidation of its nascent democracy and respect for its institutions. For others, however, the credibility of the poll was undermined by anomalies including the failure of technology and allegations of vote discrepancies. As such, the Supreme Court is seen to have rendered a bad ruling.

With a president and a deputy indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, the poll outcome also raised questions around the implications for Kenya’s international standing and for international criminal justice in general.

This seminar will reflect on lessons from the election process, the Supreme Court’s ruling and implications for future elections, the place of international criminal justice in Kenya and prospects for the new government.

 

Chair: Andrew Attah-Asamoah, Senior Researcher, ISS Pretoria

Introductory remarks: Jemima Njeri, Senior Researcher, ISS Pretoria

Speakers:

  • Wangui Kaniaru, Head, Professional Development at the African Legal Network
  • Wilfred Nderitu, Common Legal Representative for Victims at the ICC
  • Mr Willis Otieno, Lawyer and Programmes Officer at the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA)

Please note: For all ISS events, specific permission must be sought from the speaker(s) concerned before anything they said can be quoted, unless indicated otherwise.

Development partners
This event is made possible through the funding from the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Nairobi. The ISS is also grateful for the support of the following core partners: the governments of Norway, Sweden, Australia and Denmark.
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