Editor’s note: The Star newspaper first published this OPED on September 21, 2022. Here’s the original link.
Peace is not the absence of conflict or war.
On September 21, Kenyans will join the world in marking International Peace Day, about a month after they went to the ballot.
The annual commemoration is when the United Nations calls on all nations and people to put down their weapons.
This year is themed ‘End Racism. Build Peace’, coming at a time Kenya witnessed—arguably—the first peaceful general election and power transition since 2007.
In 2013, tension escalated and sporadic violence broke out. Lives were lost. The new administration took power and concerns grew about handling interethnic rivalry.
It appeared the government did little to end the enmity between wrangling factions. And it exploded in 2017, shortly after the general election. Violence erupted following the reelection of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, leaving at least 50 people dead nationwide.
By the time Uhuru got sworn in for his last term, the country was deeply divided and memories of 2007, when a disputed election plunged Kenya into bloodshed, rekindled. During the post-2017 period, like 10 years earlier, supporters of the opposition felt cheated and targeted by the government. There were even calls to secede.
But the 2022 election heralded hopes Kenya’s democratic maturity was not lost after the voting passed peacefully. The Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging President William Ruto’s election. The opposition and their supporters faulted the decision, even though they respect it.
Despite this, there are fears that Kenya is just calm but not peaceful—and any trigger can unleash terror. And that is why part of this year’s theme, ‘Build Peace’, is so important to Kenya, whose elections are synonymous with ethnic clashes.
It’s remarkable that police and communities, in the 2022 election, “put down their weapons” as rallied by the UN.
Kenya’s adversarial system results in winners and losers in most judicial decisions. The judiciary will need to demonstrate to Kenyans that its independence is solid.
Even as the country builds on the gains made so far, there’s a need to address deep-rooted grievances in every election.
Before voting and immediately after, there were reports that non-locals living in areas described by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission as ‘hotspots’, including Eldoret, Nandi and Kisumu, were moving away. Many dreaded a potential assault depending on the outcome of the vote.
In fact, on August 15, a sugar plantation in Kibigori, Kisumu, was torched after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared the presidential results. From the moment the IEBC called the election to when the Supreme Court rendered its verdict, markets in border areas of Nandi and Kisumu were ghosted by non-natives.
Act Change Transform (Act!) and its partners have been conducting interethnic dialogues with border-line communities to promote peace. It escalated these talks on the Kisumu-Nandi borders.
In Isiolo, via peace committees, we averted a looming banditry attack that would have affected voting.
A country is as strong as its institutions. The independence of bodies responsible for electoral management, including the IEBC, judiciary and police, must be guarded.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, mandated to oversight police, said officers were better organised and prepared for election security.
Unlike in the past, IPOA in 2022 received only seven complaints, including shooting, attempted rape and assault during the polling period, signalling a drastic reduction in police abuse. Previously, trigger-happy cops got blamed for flaming violence.
The 2022 police conduct is encouraging and should extend to foster peace in all elections.
The IEBC has attracted praise and criticism in equal measure. Raila Odinga’s supporters felt he lost because the IEBC bungled the elections. President William Ruto’s diehards attributed his win to the IEBC’s integrity.
The trust deficit appears to manifest within Opposition ranks, plus at least 6.9 million Kenyans who voted for Raila. Yet 7.1 million others who elected Ruto have confidence in the commission.
The IEBC must gain the trust of all Kenyans and improve its strategic communication, which was a letdown and probably the cause of scepticism. It must also remain independent and seen to be so.
Kenya’s adversarial system results in winners and losers in most judicial decisions. The judiciary will need to demonstrate to Kenyans that its independence is solid.
Kenya can be peaceful, not just calm.
Journalist and communication officer at Act!
