2022 General Elections: Everything You Need To Know.

Every five years Kenyans go to the polls to elect their leaders that will serve them for the next five years. All elective positions are up for grabs from members of the county assembly(MCA), Member of Parliament (MP), governors, senators, and the president. On Tuesday 9th August this year is the day Kenyans will be making this important decision concerning their leadership.

The first-ever election in post-independent Kenya was held on the 6th of December 1969 with KANU being the only party that fielded candidates after the then president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta banned Kenya People's Union party led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga making Kenya a de facto one-party state. That year although the seat of the President was up for grabs, Kenyatta retained the seat since he was the only candidate and thus there was no need for presidential elections. Later after the death of Kenyatta in 1978, President Moi took over, amid controversies and intrigues from the infamous Kiambu mafia, a group that wanted to stop him from ascending to power. Nonetheless, Moi was sworn in as interim president on the same day Kenyatta died, for three months pending elections on November 8th that same year. This was to be the second election in the history of Kenya that saw Moi elected unopposed, and thus no actual election was necessary and was sworn in as a substantive president. 

The next elections were later held in 1988 and KANU being the sole party swept most of the parliamentary seats and once again the president was elected unopposed. This election was later marred with controversy as there were no ballot boxes and ballot papers, people were required to line up behind their preferred candidate and the election officials asked to count the people physically then declare the winner. It was christened mlolongo system.

Afterward, the clamor for multiparty started fueled by the aftermath of the 1988 elections and it was led by various opposition leaders namely, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Masinde Muliro, Kenneth Njindo Matiba, and Raila Odinga(the youngest of them all then) among others. It was not an easy fight as the then President Moi who was a master in the political chase game, gave them a run for their money. But after several encounters around the country and several political arrests later, the president finally gave in and repealed section 2A, paving the way for the first-ever multi-party elections in Kenya. This was held on December 29th, 1992, which also saw a first-ever direct election of the President who had earlier on been elected unopposed.

This year's election will be the 7th since the advent of multi-party in Kenya, and the 3rd after the promulgation of the new Constitution. President Uhuru Kenyatta was the first president elected under this new constitution and whoever takes over from him will be the second and will have his work cut out for him in terms of constitutional implementation and dispensation. Pundits believe Uhuru didn't fully implement and adhere to this new constitution and will be keen to see how the next president does it.

This election has attracted several contenders but it's shaping out to be a two-horse race between Raila and Ruto who in 2007 were in the same party ODM. The two, with completely different manifestos, have traversed the country giving many promises and assurances of being the ideal candidate for the top job. No doubt one of the two will be elected president of this country come August, but whoever it is, has his work cut out for him with this ailing economy and skyrocketing food prices not forgetting that he will also be inheriting a divided nation that will need healing. This will not happen unless the incoming president makes a concerted effort to bring people together starting by extending an olive branch to the losing opponent. May the best candidate win.