in Depth

Kenya 2022: Who will win the great race?

This year’s general elections are shaping up to be one of the most important ones in Kenyan history as the two top contenders, Raila Odinga and William Ruto, are neck-at-neck for support. Follow our in-depth analysis on and explanations on this year’s polls.

Election officials wait for voters at a polling station during the repeat presidential election in the city centre in Nairobi,

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outlawed gang

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Kenya 2022: Voters fear election violence from resurgent Mungiki sect With elections in Kenya just two months away, voters are worried about the resurgence of the violent Mungiki gang that unleashed ethnic violence acros...

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an overview

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Kenya 2022: What to expect in this year’s most competitive elections Political analysts have billed this year’s election as one of the most competitive in Kenya’s history, pitting deputy president William Ruto against t...

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coalition of influence

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Kenya: Who’s who in Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja alliance? Presidential contender and former prime minister Raila Odinga is counting on his skills in building a coalition to take on deputy president William Ru...

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trusted allies

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Kenya 2022: Who’s who in William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance? In early April, Deputy President William Ruto, a presidential contender, admitted eight new people to his Kenya Kwanza Alliance, bringing the total nu...

In this Saturday Feb. 9, 2013 photo, residents gather at sundown at ‘Hope’ camp for internally-displaced Kenyans from the Kikuyu tribe, near Nyahururu, in Kenya. The 624 people living at Hope Camp, a spot near the equator in a placed called Laikipia, is an illustration of one of the many lingering effects of the tribe-on-tribe violence that rocked Kenya after its 2007 presidential election. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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status quo

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Kenya: Why Raila & Ruto remain quiet on land justice issues For the first time in decades, Kenya’s leading presidential candidates are skirting around the explosive issue of land justice – instead of exploiting...

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"pockets and networks"

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Kenya 2022: Who is Rigathi Gachagua, Ruto’s running mate? Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto has picked an ardent critic of President Uhuru Kenyatta to deputise him for the next five years should he win th...

Kenya’s Opposition leader Raila Odinga names his running mate, in Nairobi

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Sweet talk

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Kenya 2022: Raila promises the moon with Azimio manifesto Presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s Azimio coalition manifesto promises voters a range of freebies that many political analysts believe will be impo...

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high-profile woman

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Can Kenya’s ‘Iron Lady’ Martha Karua push Raila over the top? Presidential candidate Raila Odinga made Kenyan history this month when he chose as his running mate the first woman to ever join a major party ticket...

© (lt to rt): Raila Odinga, William Ruto, David Waihiga Mwaure, and George Wajackoyah (Photo TAR)

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who's who

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Kenya 2022: Your guide to the four presidential candidates On 9 August, more than 22 million Kenyan voters will head to polling stations to choose who will be their leader for the next five years. Four men hav...

© William Ruto and his running mate
Rigathi Gachagua campaigning in Banana hill, Kiambu county
(twitter: @rigathi)

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Tide of change?

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Kenya 2022: Is Kenyatta losing his grip to Ruto in home turf of Kiambu County? Kenya’s general election has been billed as a contest between political dynasties versus self-made politicians. Kiambu County, which is part of the la...

A shop owner hold bags depicting presidential candidate Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto in the town of Kibigori

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Get out the vote

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Kenya 2022: Electoral battlegrounds to watch during polling day Kenya’s two leading presidential candidates are banking on voter turnout in their respective regional strongholds to win the coveted prize. Final opin...

© Motorists drive outside the Garden City Mall housing the Shoprite store along Thika Road in Nairobi, Kenya November 13, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

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central issues

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Kenya 2022 elections: Taxes, costlier loans top concerns for businesses ahead of polls What does Kenya’s business community want from the new government that is set to be elected on 9 August?

© A bus drives past banners for Kenyan presidential candidates Raila Odinga, left, and William Ruto, right, on a road in the Mathare neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

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raila vs ruto

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Kenya 2022: Whose mobilising strategy will win voters? As Kenya’s election day nears, the top presidential contenders William Ruto and Raila Odinga have shifted focus on getting out the vote to ensure a fi...

© A UDA branded chair is seen at during William Ruto’s political campaign in Nakuru County. (photo: twitter)

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Electoral battleground

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Kenya 2022: Who will be crowned leader of voter-rich Nakuru county? Kenya’s top presidential candidates William Ruto and Raila Odinga have been competing for attention in the voter-rich Rift Valley region.

© A policeman stands guard as the first batch of ballot papers to be used in the upcoming general election arrives at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, July 7, 2022. (AP Photo)

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lacking confidence

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Kenya: Why arrest of Venezuelans fuels fear of post-poll turmoil What appeared as a normal arrest of a foreigner at Kenya’s main airport has now turned into a major row between the electoral commission and the poli...

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ruffling feathers

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Kenya 2022: Could George Wajackoyah force a runoff between Ruto and Odinga? Kenya’s fringe presidential candidate George Wajackoyah is causing shockwaves in the political battlefield with some analysts fearing that his rising ...

© A vendor sits by his newspapers for sale on a street in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. (AP Photo)

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hopes and fears

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Kenya 2022: Debt, corruption, and living costs top concerns as Kenyans go to polls A mix of fear and hope hangs over Kenya as more than 22 million registered voters get the chance to elect the country’s next president on Tuesday.

© A man reads a newspaper to follow the election vote-tallying in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)/

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proper elections

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As Kenya voted, the East Africa region watched in awe, desperation The East African region has been watching Kenya’s recent elections unfold. In Uganda, the election evoked recollections of last year’s election, which...

Kenyan electorate vote during the general elections in the Westlands Primary School in Nairobi © Voters queue to cast their ballots during the general elections organised by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) at the Westlands Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya August 9, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

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low numbers

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Kenya elections 2022: Results awaited as candidates ask why so many people did not vote As Kenyans wait for final results of the tight presidential race pitting deputy president William Ruto against former prime minister Raila Odinga, que...

Kenya’s electoral commission relays election results in Nairobi © Sierra Leone’s former President Ernest Bai Koroma and Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete attend an international observers briefing on Kenya’s general election organised by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in Nairobi, Kenya August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

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What they saw

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Kenya 2022: International observers praise voting, warn on disinformation As Kenyans wait for the final presidential results, international observers – in their preliminary reports – say the voting exercise was largely peace...

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polling hitches

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Kenya 2022: Elections marred by low-voter turnout, technology failure, bribery After the polls in one of Kenya’s most competitive elections ended on Tuesday evening, the focus now shifts to counting the presidential votes. Who be...

An employee of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission arranges ballot boxes and election material at a tallying centre in Eldoret

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tallying process

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Kenya 2022: Why Kenyans must wait before results are announced 22.1 million Kenyan voters are expected to head to their voting stations to choose who their leaders for the next five years will be. However, Kenyans...

William Ruto reacts after being declared the winner of Kenya’s presidential election in Nairobi, Kenya, August 15, 2022. ©REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

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Decision time

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Kenya 2022: Ruto declared winner of presidential election, Raila to contest in court After nearly a week of tallying ballots, Kenya’s Independent Electoral Bureau Commission (IEBC) has officially declared Deputy President William Ruto ...

Kenya’s Prime Minister and presidential candidate Odinga poses for a photo with former cabinet minister and presidential candidate Ruto as they attend peace prayers at the Uhuru Park grounds in Nairobi

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ENLISTING EDITORS

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Kenya 2022: Raila and Ruto are poaching star journalists as the independent media declines With less than six months before one of the tightest presidential elections in Kenya’s history, the two main contenders have recruited journalists for...

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time and money

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Kenya: Why does the electoral commission struggle with elections each time? Despite being allocated billions of shillings every five years, the electoral body continues to fail the test of delivering a free, fair and verifiabl...

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