The 2013 general elections in Kenya

This policy brief, published by the Institute for Security Studies in February 2015, analyzes the integrity of Kenya's 2013 general elections. Based on a post-election survey by the Comparative National Elections Project (CNEP), the document examines voter perceptions of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the fairness of the process, and the influence of ethnic and partisan dynamics on public trust.

• The 2013 general elections saw a high voter turnout of 85%, with Uhuru Kenyatta (Jubilee) winning the presidency with 50.07% of the vote and Raila Odinga (CORD) receiving 43.31%.
• Public trust in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was divided, with 49% of survey respondents stating they did not trust the body and 43% responding positively.
• While 61% of Kenyans rated the 2013 elections as free and fair, these perceptions were heavily influenced by ethnic and party affiliations; supporters of the Jubilee Coalition (specifically Kikuyu and Kalenjin) gave high ratings, while supporters of CORD (specifically Luo and Kamba) generally deemed them neither free nor fair.
• Voter registration reached 14.3 million people using biometric voter registration (BVR) technology, but an estimated three million citizens were unable to register because they lacked the required national identity cards.
• Direct negative personal experiences during the election were relatively low, with only 12% of respondents reporting vote buying and 4% to 5% reporting intimidation; however, broader perceptions of electoral abuse were more prevalent than these tangible experiences.
• Public confidence in international election observers declined between 2009 and 2013, potentially because observer reports indicated a free and fair election while the Supreme Court's rejection of CORD's appeal generated high levels of public controversy.

APA

Schulz-Herzenberg, C., Aling’o, P., & Gatimu, S. (2015). The 2013 general elections in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief74.pdf

Chicago

Schulz-Herzenberg, Collette, Peter Aling’o, and Sebastian Gatimu. The 2013 general elections in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies, 2015. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief74.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{schulzherzenberg20152013, author = {Schulz-Herzenberg, Collette and Aling’o, Peter and Gatimu, Sebastian}, title = {{The 2013 general elections in Kenya}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief74.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }