Consolidating Electoral Democracy through Enhanced Electoral Management Body: A Case of Kenya, 1992- 2017.

Abstract

Elections today are almost universally accepted as the legitimate way of establishing governments. The Electoral management bodies are entrusted with the responsibility of conducting free, fair credible elections. For close to three decades now since the return to Multiparty rule in 1992, Kenya has been holding periodic elections that exhibit fragility in form of electoral violence an indication that its electoral democracy is yet to be consolidated. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) finds itself on the receiving end accused of not living up to its task of conducting free and fair elections following the constitution of Kenya. This paper argues that the problem with Kenya’s elections is located within the environment in which IEBC operates. The socio-cultural, economic, political, and technological factors constrain the functions of IEBC delaying the consolidation of democracy in Kenya.