Kenya: Counting the Cost of Political Brinkmanship

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the fragility of Kenya's democratic institutions and social cohesion following the divisive repeat elections of 2017, contrasting the country's economic strength with its political instability.

• Kenya possesses a strong economy and serves as a critical regional transport hub, with a GDP growth rate of 5.8% last year, significantly exceeding the continental average of 1.3%.
• The 2017 election cycle demonstrated a high point for judicial independence when the Supreme Court annulled the national election results on 1 September, a decision accepted by the initial winner.
• Despite judicial progress, the repeat elections were marred by political brinkmanship, the withdrawal of candidate Raila Odinga, and contested results where President Uhuru Kenyatta won 98% of the vote.
• The electoral process resulted in casualties, with police reporting 19 deaths while human rights groups claim the number exceeds 70.
• The elections highlighted the persistence of ethnically based identity politics and corruption over policy debate, suggesting that the project to alter Kenya's political culture following the 2007 post-election violence has suffered a significant setback.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). Kenya: Counting the Cost of Political Brinkmanship. https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-counting-the-cost-of-political-brinkmanship/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Kenya: Counting the Cost of Political Brinkmanship. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-counting-the-cost-of-political-brinkmanship/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Kenya: Counting the Cost of Political Brinkmanship |date=7 November 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-counting-the-cost-of-political-brinkmanship/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017kenya, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Kenya: Counting the Cost of Political Brinkmanship}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/kenya-counting-the-cost-of-political-brinkmanship/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }