February 2013

Candidates Prepare for Elections in Kenya

Discussion among LCA participants in Nakuru.

In preparation for the March 4 general elections, Kenyans are working to avoid the widespread violence that left 1,500 dead and 600,000 displaced after the 2007 polls.

A new constitution approved in 2010 instituted a number of electoral reforms, but the country still faces many hurdles to make sure they are enforced and violence is avoided. An NDI pre-election delegation that visited Nairobi last year said that Kenya had made remarkable progress in that regard, but it warned that immediate and concerted efforts were needed to remove uncertainties that could threaten the integrity of the elections. The delegation offered a number of recommendations that it said could help ensure a peaceful electoral process.

To help safeguard the elections' integrity and increase voter confidence, NDI is working with the Kenyan Elections Observation Group (ELOG), a coalition of 18 civil society and faith-based organizations. Its members have long histories of promoting peaceful democratic development in Kenya. ELOG has been comprehensively monitoring the political environment for months ahead of the election. It deployed 542 long-term observers to monitor key pre-election processes such as voter registration, party nominations, campaign finance and participation of marginalized communities. For election day, ELOG will deploy thousands of observers who will send reports by SMS so that ELOG can assess the conduct of polling and independently verify the official results.

Kenya's Inter-Party Youth Forum (IPYF) has been preparing for the elections by educating the country's youth about their political rights. It brought together more than 950 young Kenyans last fall who signed a pledge of nonviolence and peace for the March polls.

The country's new system of government, which puts more power in the hands of local officials, has also created a large number of new elected positions, which means that many office seekers are running for the first time. NDI's Leadership and Campaign Academy (LCA) is helping these new candidates learn how to campaign effectively and understand their role as elected officials. To ensure a representative crop of candidates, the LCA also held sessions focused on helping traditionally disenfranchised groups such as women, young people and those with disabilities. Since its creation in 2011, the academy has trained 1,688 prospective candidates, including 700 women, and a manual accompanying the training has reached thousands more.

Ghana

On the other side of the continent, NDI has been supporting citizen monitoring in Ghana. In December, the Institute's partner, the Coalition for Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), deployed observers to 3,999 polling stations to report on election day conduct via SMS, and used social media and radio to provide extensive voter education and outreach ahead of the election. The coalition's independent vote count verified the outcome in a close presidential election, which gave voters confidence in the result and helped keep the peace.

To stay up to date on the Institute's work around the world, visit www.ndi.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube or Flickr.

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