The Carter Centre, in its first report on the October 26 Presidential election, has listed a number of problems that greatly affected the election.
The Observer mission that was led by former US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for constructive dialogue between President Uhuru Kenyatta and National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga, stating that the repeat poll greatly polarized the country and exposed deep ethnic divisions.
First, the report notes that the circumstances at the time of the poll made it difficult for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to deliver on its mandate.
These circumstances include the withdrawal of Odinga's candidature, the resignation of commissioner Roselyne Akombe and attacks on IEBC staff in some areas.
[caption caption="IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati hands President Kenyatta his certificate"]
[/caption]
Also, the IEBC has been faulted for failing the transparency test, which lowered public trust in the body.
The report reads in part: "Moreover, the IEBC continually failed to meet its constitutional obligation of transparency, which further affected an already fragile public confidence and trust in its work."
Third, amendments to electoral laws that were pushed through Parliament by Jubilee Party lawmakers have been cited as having ignored effective public consultation. The amendments became law on November 2.
In addition, negative rhetoric during the campaign period is said to have further polarized the country. The Centre noted that the arrests of MPs Moses Kuria and Babu Owino, Johnstone Muthama and Ibrahim Omondi on hate-speech charges were made during the campaign period.
Fifth, President Kenyatta was called out for various verbal attacks on the Judiciary as he campaigned.
The report further states that the announcement by Mr Odinga a day to the election that NASA would become a resistance movement, and his call for NASA supporters to disobey the illegitimate government had a serious impact on the poll.
The report, however, notes that Mr Odinga urged his supporters to boycott the poll and stay home on election day.
Seventh, the election day in Nyanza and Nairobi was marred by violence, the report states. The Government countered this with alleged live ammunition and excessive force.
Furthermore, security concerns forced the electoral body to cancel the election in four counties, impacting the poll's legitimacy.
Finally, the report raised concerns about the lack of quorum at the Supreme Court a day to the polls, stating that it could point to political interference within the Judiciary.
[caption caption="NASA supporters at a past demonstration"]
[/caption]
