
<p>By Louw Nel – Political Analyst</p>



<p>Divisions within the ruling Jubilee Party have seemingly given way to an all-out battle for control with the realignment of the party and the purging of senior officials.</p>



<p>A coalition deal has been formalised between Jubilee and the once-powerful Kenya African National Union (Kanu) – they notified the Registrar of Political Parties, Anne Nderitu, on May 4.</p>



<p>An agreement was entered into prior to the 2017 elections but was never formalised.</p>



<p>However, several senior Jubilee members have lodged a dispute with the registrar, saying that Secretary General Raphael Tuju and acting Chairperson Nelson Dzuya do not have the authority to engage Jubilee, as the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) never passed a resolution on the matter. The Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) is expected to consider the matter on Thursday, May 21.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta has seemingly set about purging Jubilee of members aligned to his deputy, William Ruto: both Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and Majority Whip Susan Kihika were removed on May 11. Mr Murkomen and Ms Kihika have both been outspoken public critics of the president.</p>



<p>In addition, five nominated senators aligned to Mr Ruto’s so-called Tangatanga faction appeared before a party disciplinary committee on Wednesday, May 20, over their failure to attend the parliamentary group meeting at State House on May 11.</p>



<p>According to reports, several chairs of senate committees are also expected to be replaced imminently and a Cabinet reshuffle is under discussion as Mr Kenyatta’s Kieleweke faction seizes the initiative.</p>



<p>More background to the development is Mr Kenyatta’s rapprochement with Raila Odinga, leader of the main opposition, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Messrs Kenyatta and Odinga have joined forces in promoting the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), with Mr Odinga championing calls for a referendum on the BBI’s final recommendations.</p>



<p>Mr Ruto’s attitude to the BBI has oscillated between ambivalence and hostility, notably to its recommended creation of a prime minister position.</p>



<p>It is increasingly clear that the relationship between Messrs Kenyatta and Ruto has broken down irretrievably, and that the battle over Jubilee is set to grow acrimonious as opposition to the latter’s 2022 succession bid grows.</p>



<p>Many shots have been fired in recent months, including calls by Jubilee and opposition MPs for Mr Ruto to resign on March 11 and Mr Ruto’s social media tirade against the “fraudulent changes” to Jubilee’s NEC by “political rejects, conmen &amp; fraudsters” in early April.</p>



<p>The coalition agreement between Jubilee and Kanu is certain to antagonise Mr Ruto, as his adversarial relationship with Kanu leader and fellow Kalenjin, Gideon Moi, is well documented.</p>



<p>The possibility of the ODM or the Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya (WDM – K) entering into coalition talks with Jubilee-Kanu cannot be dismissed, especially as Wiper leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, stated on May 11 that his party was exploring the possibility despite being a member of the National Super Alliance (Nasa) alongside the ODM.</p>



<p>The dissolution/reconstitution of Jubilee does not necessarily portend political instability in Kenya, as parties are generally viewed as election vehicles rather than institutions in their own right.</p>



<p>Indeed, political development and democratic consolidation in the country are held back by the absence of durable political parties that are based on principles rather than ethnic ‘big men’ or election strategies.</p>



<p>Recent developments seem to suggest that this isn’t about to change.</p>


Op-Ed: Jubilee, Kanu formalise coalition as internal battles rage in Kenya

<p>Kenyan opposition politicians said on Monday they had suspended their rival assembly, days after their leader said he would reconcile with President Uhuru Kenyatta and end months of post-election turmoil.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-301598 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Kenya_Kenyatta-Odinga-Meeting_GettyImages.png" alt="" width="850" height="566" /></p>
<p class="">Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga met on Friday and promised to re-unite the country after 100 people were killed in clashes, mainly between opposition supporters and security forces.</p>
<p class="">The opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition said it welcomed the new spirit of cooperation &#8211; though it warned that the suspension could be lifted if the government did not address divisive issues including land.</p>
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<p class="">“We have accepted. We acknowledge that it is better to reason together than separately,” the NASA Peoples Assembly Organising Committee said, in the first sign that rank-and file campaigners backed the leaders’ surprise reconciliation.</p>
<p class="">The People’s Assembly was announced in the wake of presidential election in August, and a repeat vote in October, both won by Kenyatta and both dismissed by the opposition as fraudulent.</p>
<p class="">Organisers at the time said the People’s Assembly was not meant to be a parallel government, but other statements said citizens would be able to use it to “exercise their sovereignty” until what they called “proper elections” were held.</p>
<p class="">Several Kenyan counties set up their own local People’s Assemblies, meant to be part of a central, national body, which has yet to meet.</p>
<p class="">Before Friday, Kenyatta and Odinga had defied calls from civil society, religious leaders and Western diplomats to hold talks to overcome deep divisions after the elections.</p>
<p class="">Violence during the two rounds of voting last year revived memories of the clashes that followed a contested 2007 vote, though the toll did not come close to the estimate 1,200 killed that time around.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Reporting by George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo; Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Andrew Heavens</p>
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Kenyan opposition suspends “People’s Assembly” after rivals meet

<p>Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta called opposition leader Raila Odinga “his brother” on Friday and promised they would both start the process of bringing the people together after last year’s contentious elections.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-292572 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Uhuru-Kenyatta_New_Flickr.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /></p>
<p class="">In a live television address jointly with Kenyatta on the steps of the president’s office, Odinga said time had come to resolve “our” differences.</p>
<p class="">It was the first public appearance by the two politicians together since a repeat presidential election last Oct. 26.</p>
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<p class="">Kenyatta and Odinga had agreed to establish a new office staffed by advisers to tackle the divisions ranging from opposition complaints over the election to tensions between ethnic groups and corruption, they said in a statement.</p>
<p class="">“We have a responsibility as leaders to find solutions. Elections come and go but Kenya remains,” Kenyatta said.</p>
<p class="">Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term in November after an extended election season which saw the Supreme Court nullify an August presidential poll and order a re-run in October, which Odinga boycotted.</p>
<p class="">Around 100 people died mainly in clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters during months of acrimonious campaigning and protests. The election season blunted growth in Kenya, East Africa’s richest economy and a Western ally in a volatile region.</p>
<p class="">In January, Odinga took a symbolic presidential oath in a Nairobi park in a direct challenge to Kenyatta.</p>
<p class="">Before the Friday meeting, the two men had defied calls from Kenyan civil society, religious leaders and Western diplomats to hold talks to overcome deep divisions opened up by the disputed elections.</p>
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<p class="">Odinga said the opposition had decided to change tactics for the sake of the country’s unity. “We refuse to allow our diversity to kill our nation,” he said.</p>
<p class="">U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives in the Kenyan capital later on Friday as part of a seven-day visit to Africa as the United States seeks to bolster security alliances on a continent increasingly turning to China for trade.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Additional reporting by Maggie Fick and Katharine Houreld; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg</p>
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Kenya’s president and opposition leader pledge to heal divisions

<p><em>Njoki Wamai |University of Cambridge</em></p>
<p>In what some have called a coup, Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga was hastily sworn in in a mock ceremony as the “people’s president” by two lawyers in the presence of a sizeable crowd.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_298490" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-298490" class="wp-image-298490 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Raila-Odinga_Swearing-in_GettyImages.png" alt="NAIROBI, KENYA - JANUARY 30: Opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga takes an oath as president during a mock 'swearing-in' ceremony on January 30, 2018 at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya. The opposition held the ceremony to protest the results of the controversial 2017 elections, which lead to current President Uhuru Kenyatta being named to a second term. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)" width="850" height="566" /><p id="caption-attachment-298490" class="wp-caption-text">NAIROBI, KENYA &#8211; JANUARY 30: Opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga takes an oath as president during a mock &#8216;swearing-in&#8217; ceremony on January 30, 2018 at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya. The opposition held the ceremony to protest the results of the controversial 2017 elections, which lead to current President Uhuru Kenyatta being named to a second term. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)</p></div></p>
<p>The brief January 30 ceremony took place in central Nairobi’s largest park. But this was not a coup. Odinga did not purport to assume the constitutional office of the president held by his rival Uhuru Kenyatta. As some of his supporters have argued, this swearing-in was largely symbolic.</p>
<p>Odinga’s vocal support mirrors the ethnic affiliations of his opposition coalition partners – mostly the Luo, Luhya, Kamba and a number of tribes from the country’s coastal areas. Ranged against them are Kenyatta’s Kikuyu and Deputy President William Ruto’s Kalenjin ethnic groups. These two ethnic groups have produced all the country’s presidents since independence 54 years ago. The Kikuyu, who have produced three of the last four presidents, are the most populous ethnic group in Kenya. They are followed by the Luhya, Kalenjin and Luo.</p>
<p>Grievances over land between the Kikuyu and Kalenjin have previously sparked violent clashes, including post-election carnage in 2007 and 2008. But rattled by International Criminal Court charges over the violence, Kenyatta and Ruto closed ranks to win the next election in 2013.</p>
<p>The two ethnic groups have been accused of exclusionary politics due to their superior numbers, wealth, state power and<br />
and impunity.</p>
<p>Against this backdrop, the events of January 30 could be read as part of Kenya’s long transition to democracy and the push to reclaim the stalled nation building project.</p>
<h2>Not a power grab</h2>
<p>Kenya has a vibrant modern economy, but remains deeply fractured along ethnic lines.</p>
<p>After independence, Uhuru’s father Jomo Kenyatta preferred the free market model. This gave precedence to private capital and private land tenure regardless of the prevailing inequalities between different ethnic groups.</p>
<p>The senior Kenyatta intimidated Jaramogi Odinga and others who challenged his model. The senior Odinga, who was Kenyatta’s first vice-president and ally turned foe, preferred a land redistribution model. This would have addressed the land and nationhood crisis that continues to date.</p>
<p>The younger Kenyatta has yet to address the mess his father created in the land tenure system. Odinga on the other hand continues his father’s campaign for a more equitable sharing of resources. He has also called for a reformed electoral system which would guarantee equal chances for different ethnic groups to assume the presidency regardless of their size.</p>
<p>Odinga’s swearing-in did not amount to a power grab nor replace the current president. It was more an assertion of people’s power to reject a political model in which opposition supporters’ votes don’t seem to count.</p>
<p>In my view, the message is that while Kenyatta occupies the office of head of the sovereign state, opposition supporters can choose who to legitimise as their president in their own way. The huge crowd that gathered at Uhuru Park fulfilled this mission.</p>
<p>But converting his people power from the popularity contest to real power is the challenge. People power works where the regime in power lacks support. But Kenyatta enjoys as much support as Odinga in the capital.</p>
<h2>What next for Raila Odinga?</h2>
<p>Odinga has run for president four times – in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017 – and lost in all. Some analysts have suggested that the scale and nature of illegalities in the 2007 and 2013 elections are proof that the outcomes were predetermined and the results rigged to keep Odinga out. The August 8 2017 election was also nullified over illegalities and irregularities.</p>
<p>Win or lose, Odinga has been at the centre of the Kenyan political story for decades. His latest actions provoked a fierce reaction from government which took the unprecedented step of shutting out the main TV stations. Several arrests have also been made.</p>
<p>The jury is still out on whether Odinga’s show of power through numbers actually matters. The symbolic ceremony seems to have reduced tensions among his supporters who longed to ‘crown their king’.</p>
<p>The tough talking Kenyatta government has interpreted the swearing-in ceremony as a criminal offence. The furious reaction has further deepened the divisions between government and opposition and also among their supporters. A middle ground where both sides address past injustices and review the relevance of the first-past-the-post electoral system in Kenya that privileges populous ethnic groups over minority ones is what Kenya needs.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91158/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />As a way forward, dialogue between the people’s president and President of the Republic should start immediately to address the exclusion and entitlement that has prevented Kenya’s nation-building project from taking off.</p>
<p>This article was originally published on The Conversation.</p>


Op-Ed: ‘People’s president’ gambit reignites power struggle as old as Kenya

<p>Three Kenyan TV stations will stay off the air indefinitely as the government investigates a “swearing in” of opposition leader Raila Odinga, the interior minister said on Wednesday, following the symbolic but direct challenge to President Uhuru Kenyatta.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_38929" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38929" class="wp-image-38929 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kenya_on_africa_map_shutterstock_422422654.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="600" /><p id="caption-attachment-38929" class="wp-caption-text">Photo: Shutterstock</p></div></p>
<p>Independently owned Citizen TV and Radio, KTN and NTV were switched off on Tuesday after they transmitted live coverage of an opposition ceremony to “swear in” Odinga into office.</p>
<p>Fred Matiang‘i, who is also the minister in charge of security, accused some elements in the media of facilitating the “illegal act”, putting lives of thousands of Kenyans at risk.</p>
<p>“The government took a decision to shut down the concerned media houses, until further notice, as it launches a full investigation,” he told a news conference.</p>
<p>Odinga, whose supporters say he is Kenya’s legitimate leader and Kenyatta’s election was neither free nor fair, took a symbolic presidential oath at the ceremony.</p>
<p>Matiang‘i said the opposition event was an attempt to subvert and overthrow the legally constituted government, adding they were also investigating the “swearing in”.</p>
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<p>“The investigations will extend to co-conspirators and facilitators,” he said, promising appropriate legal action against those found culpable.</p>
<p>Police later arrested Tom Kajwang, an opposition lawmaker who administered Odinga’s “oath of office”, James Orengo, an opposition senator, told Reuters.</p>
<p>Kajwang, who represents a constituency in Nairobi and is a lawyer by profession, turned up at the opposition gathering in a white wig and a black robe, mimicking the official robes the chief justice wears when inaugurating a president.</p>
<h3>LOSSES</h3>
<p>Earlier, executives in the media industry accused the government of keeping them in the dark over the switch-off of their broadcast stations.</p>
<p>“There was no comment from the government when the action was taken, and there’s been none since,” said Wachira Waruru, managing director of Royal Media Services, which owns Citizen TV and Radio.</p>
<p>Attempts by Reuters to reach Kenya’s Communications Authority for comment by telephone on Wednesday were unsuccessful.</p>
<p>“We’re trying to reach out informally to government officials, but we are not getting any answers,” Waruru said. “Our business is advertising-based so we are making huge losses,” he said, declining to give a figure.</p>
<p>The stations are considering filing a petition to the Kenyan courts in the hope of having their broadcasts restored by court order, he said. “We are trying to resolve through dialogue, but if it doesn’t work we will go to the courts,” he said.</p>
<p>“It’s shocking that the stations are still shut down,” said Isaac Okero, president of the Law Society of Kenya.</p>
<p>“This sets a very worrying tone for the country and really reveals to us that the state’s supposed commitment to constitutional order is very brittle if there at all.”</p>
<p>On Tuesday security forces made no move to stop an opposition gathering in downtown Nairobi attended by more than 15,000 people, which authorities had said would be illegal.</p>
<p>But the government later declared the opposition “National Resistance Movement” a criminal group, paving the way for potential arrests.</p>
<p>On Monday, Linus Kaikai, chairman of the Kenya Editors’ Guild, said editors had been warned by authorities that they could be shut down if they covered the event.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by William Maclean</p>
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Kenyan TV stations to stay shut after covering opposition `inauguration’

<p>Kenyan authorities shut down private television and radio stations on Tuesday as thousands of supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga gathered in a Nairobi park where he was due to take the presidential oath in an act of protest.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-286682 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Kenya-Flag_Grune_Flickr.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="695" /></p>
<p>Odinga’s supporters insist that he, not President Uhuru Kenyatta, is Kenya’s legitimate leader, and that Kenyatta’s election was neither free nor fair.</p>
<p>Kenyatta’s election victory in August was nullified by the Supreme Court over irregularities, but he then won a re-run, which Odinga boycotted, and was sworn in for a second term in November.</p>
<p>The attorney-general had warned that Odinga could be charged with treason if the event went ahead &#8211; an offense that can carry the death penalty.</p>
<p>As thousands of people gathered in Uhuru Park, near Nairobi’s main business district, authorities began to force independent television and radio stations reporting on the gathering off air, several outlets said &#8211; the first such closures for about a decade.</p>
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<p>Many of the protesters were chanting pro-Odinga slogans, waving tree branches and blowing horns and whistles.</p>
<p>“Odinga is the one we recognize as the president and that is why we are swearing him in,” said hairdresser Benta Akinyi, 32.</p>
<h3>NO POLICE VISIBLE</h3>
<p>Although the police had said they would prevent any illegal assembly, there were no uniformed police in the park and no anti-riot officers or vehicles were visible. On the edge of the crowd, a single tear gas canister was fired.</p>
<p>Nearly 100 people were killed over the prolonged election period, mostly in clashes between Odinga supporters and police.</p>
<p>The local radio station Capital FM reported that Odinga’s supporters had been granted permission to use the park, but police and government spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>
<p>“We intend to hold a peaceful event,” Odinga’s NASA alliance said in a statement late on Monday.</p>
<p>“We nonetheless wish to put the (ruling party) Jubilee administration on notice that we will accomplish our mission, come hell or high water. We advise our supporters to come prepared to stay until our mission is accomplished.”</p>
<p>By 10:20 a.m. (0720 GMT), a number of media outlets, including the independently-owned Citizen radio and television, NTV and KTN said that authorities had forced them off air. KTN had been showing a live video stream from the park.</p>
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<p>A Communications Authority spokeswoman said its senior managers were in a meeting and would comment later.</p>
<p>“The Communications Authority of Kenya has switched off Citizen Television and Radio in most parts of the country over the coverage of the NASA ‘swearing-in’ plan,” Citizen said on its website.</p>
<p>On Monday, Linus Kaikai, chairman of the Kenya Editors’ Guild, said editors had been summoned by the authorities and warned that they could be shut down if they covered the event.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Katharine Houreld; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky</p>
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Broadcasters shut as thousands gather for Kenyan opposition ‘swearing in’

<p>Several hundred supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga gathered on Tuesday morning at a park in downtown Nairobi, determined to “swear in as president” their leader who boycotted a re-run election last year.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_282846" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-282846" class="wp-image-282846 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/1571595826001_5560783766001_5560776180001-vs.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" /><p id="caption-attachment-282846" class="wp-caption-text">Odinga speaks out as Kenya court nullifies president&#8217;s election win</p></div></p>
<p>President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term in November after winning the repeat presidential election in October that Odinga boycotted due to doubts it would be free and fair.</p>
<p>Kenyatta had also been declared winner of the August election, but the Supreme Court later nullified that result, over irregularities.</p>
<p>Odinga said the October election was “fake” and earlier said a “people’s assembly” would swear him in on December 12. That did not happen, and a new event was planned for Tuesday.</p>
<p>By 0600 GMT, about 400 people were gathered in Uhuru Park, near Nairobi’s main business district.</p>
<p>Though the police had said they would prohibit any illegal assemblies on Tuesday, there were no uniformed police in the park and no anti-riot officers or vehicles.</p>
<p>Local radio station Capital FM reported that supporters had been granted permission by Kenyan authorities to use the park. Police and government spokesman were not immediately reachable for comment on that report.</p>
<p>Opposition supporters claim Odinga won the August vote.</p>
<p>”The swearing in that will happen today is legitimate based on the August 8 election. Odinga is the one we recognise as the president and that is why we are swearing him in,” said hairdresser Benta Akinyi, 32, standing near other opposition supporters blowing horns and whistles.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Reporting by George Obulutsa; Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore</p>
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Hundreds of Kenyan opposition supporters gather for “swearing in” of Raila Odinga

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<p>The determination by Kenya’s opposition party to swear in Raila Odinga as the president of the country today could be the next page of political uncertainty in East Africa’s largest economy.</p>


Odinga’s swearing in as Kenyan president is a ‘coup d’état’ – Rich Management CEO

<p data-reactid="32">Kenya’s opposition National Super Alliance said on Sunday that one of its key strategists had been arrested in Kwale, in the country’s coastal region, and that his whereabouts were unknown.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_38929" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38929" class="wp-image-38929 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/kenya_on_africa_map_shutterstock_422422654.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="600" /><p id="caption-attachment-38929" class="wp-caption-text">Photo: Shutterstock</p></div></p>
<p data-reactid="33">The Alliance said economist David Ndii had been taken away from the Diani area late on Sunday.</p>
<p data-reactid="35">“The family was told that he had been taken to the Diani beach police station, but when they went there they were told he was not there nor did they know where he was. No reason was given for his arrest,” Salim Lone, an adviser for Raila Odinga, the coalition’s leader, said in a statement.</p>
<p>“NASA lawyers from Nairobi and the coast are trying to locate where he is being held,” he said, referring to the coalition by its acronyms.</p>
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<p data-reactid="37">Charles Owino, a police spokesman, said he was unaware of Ndii’s arrest, as were police in Kwale.</p>
<p data-reactid="38">“Police have confirmed they have David Ndii at Diani Police Station. But they want to go back to his Leopard Beach Hotel in Kwale and pick the computer and laptop for the information they need,” Dennis Onyango, Odinga’s spokesman, said on Twitter.</p>
<p data-reactid="39">President Uhuru Kenyatta defeated Odinga in August, but Odinga challenged the election and a court voided the results, citing procedural irregularities, and ordered a fresh vote. The court’s decision was the first of its kind in Africa.</p>
<p data-reactid="40">Odinga boycotted the October repeat poll, saying the country’s election commission had failed to carry out sufficient reforms. Kenyatta won with 98 percent of the vote.</p>
<p data-reactid="41">Last week, Odinga said he planned to have a people’s assembly swear him in on Dec. 12 &#8211; the country’s independence day &#8211; raising the prospect for confrontation with security forces.</p>
<p data-reactid="42">Lone said that Ndii had been appointed chairman of a steering committee for the steering committee organising for Odinga’s planned swearing in.</p>
<p data-reactid="43">“Why has @DavidNdii been arrested and where is he being held? Is he being permitted to speak to his lawyer? Is the rule of law and due process being respected?” Isaac Okero, the president of Law Society of Kenya, said on Twitter.</p>
<p>Kenya is a regional hub for trade, diplomacy and security. The prolonged election season disrupted its economy as investors waited to see the outcome.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="45">Reporting by George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo, additional reporting by Joseph Akwiri in Mombasa, editing by Larry King</p>
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Kenyan opposition says a strategist arrested, no reason given

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<p>President Uhuru Kenyatta will be sworn in on 28th November for a second five-year term following the Supreme Court decision to uphold his re-election.</p>


Kenya’s Supreme Court upholds Uhuru Kenyatta poll win

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<p>Rwanda’s target of 200,000 off-farm jobs per year by 2018 lies on the shoulders on SMEs. As regional governments continue to align policies favourable to smaller and medium enterprises, CNBC Africa spoke to Evangeline Soni Kayinamura, Founder and CEO of Clarity, on the viability of businesses such as her’s in the service industry.</p>


SMEs pivotal to Rwanda’s target of 200 000 off-farm jobs

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<p>The Supreme Court in Kenya has held a pre-trial status conference ahead of the hearing of petitions challenging re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta.</p>


Kenyan Presidential poll petition hearing resumes

<p>Kenya’s main opposition leader said on Thursday that anger over last month’s presidential election ran so deep it threatened to tear the country apart.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_282846" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-282846" class="wp-image-282846 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/1571595826001_5560783766001_5560776180001-vs.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" /><p id="caption-attachment-282846" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Odinga speaks out as Kenya court nullifies president&#8217;s election win</em></p></div></p>
<p data-reactid="43">Raila Odinga boycotted the Oct. 25 election because he said it would be unfair, leaving President Uhuru Kenyatta to win with 98 percent of the vote. The Supreme Court called the poll after it annulled a first presidential election held in August on procedural grounds.</p>
<p data-reactid="45">“Mainstream Kenyans feel so deeply cheated they are openly toying with the idea of secession,” Odinga told an audience in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p>His speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think-tank, was broadcast live on Kenyan television.</p>
<p data-reactid="47">“The biggest problem in Kenya right now is exclusion &#8230; unless they (the problems) are addressed they will tear the country apart,” he said. “As things stand now, anger and radicalization is growing by the day.”</p>
<p data-reactid="48">A small number of politicians in Odinga’s opposition alliance have discussed the idea of his strongholds seceding from Kenya but the idea has not gained wide popularity.</p>
<p data-reactid="49">Odinga’s supporter base is concentrated along Kenya’s coast, in city slums and in his western strongholds, areas that have traditionally felt excluded from political power and the opportunities for patronage it offers.</p>
<p data-reactid="50">Odinga’s supporters are currently boycotting three companies they say are backing the government. The opposition has called for protests on Friday.</p>
<p data-reactid="51">In his speech, Odinga noted Kenya’s four presidents since independence had all come from the Kikuyu or Kalenjin communities, even though the country had 44 recognised ethnic groups. Kenyatta is a Kikuyu and his deputy, who has made clear his intention to run in the next election, is a Kalenjin.</p>
<p data-reactid="52">Earlier this week, Odinga told Reuters he wanted a caretaker government for six months while preparations were made for new elections.</p>
<p data-reactid="53">Government officials reject the idea, saying Odinga had his chance to compete in October.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court is due to start hearing petitions on the legality of the October elections next week.</p>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="54">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="55">additional reporting by John Ndiso; editing by John Stonestreet</p>
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Political exclusion risks tearing Kenya apart, says opposition leader

<p><strong>Sekou Toure Otondi | University of Nairobi</strong></p>
<p>In his last address at Uhuru Park on the eve of Kenya’s October 26 election re-run, Raila Odinga announced the creation of what he called a National Resistance Movement. In a later interview with CNN, he clarified that the movement was a new wing of the opposition coalition, the National Super Alliance (NASA) which he led into the presidential elections in early August.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><div id="attachment_280932" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280932" class="wp-image-280932 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Raila-Odinga_New_Flickr.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="562" /><p id="caption-attachment-280932" class="wp-caption-text"><em>NEW DELHI/INDIA, 16NOV10 &#8211; Raila Amolo Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya, during the New South session at the World Economic Forum&#8217;s India Economic Summit 2010 held in New Delhi, 14-16 November 2010.</em><br /><em> Copyright (cc-by-</em>sa<em>) © World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org/Photo Matthew Jordaan matthew.jordaan@inl.co.za)</em></p></div></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He said the resistance movement would complement the other arms of the opposition coalition and would pursue a peaceful, non-violent struggle. It’s main objective would be to advance electoral justice in Kenya and across Africa as well.</p>
<p>His latest public address was expected to provide a radical way forward. But it fell short of expectations among his supporters who expected a more radical announcement. In addition to the resistance movement, Odinga also created a “People’s Parliament” to protect election integrity, constitutionalism, democracy and the rule of law.</p>
<p>Odinga’s immediate aim remains to force a credible election in the next 90 days. To achieve this the opposition alliance is seeking a total overhaul of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.</p>
<p>These moves come at a time when opposition leaders feel that the international community, led by the US and European Union, are either reluctant to push for reforms. Many believe that they are conspiring with the Jubliee regime to protect their own business, security, and diplomatic interests in the region.</p>
<p>The developments spearheaded by Odinga are, in my opinion, good for Kenya’s democracy. By constituting a People’s Assembly, NASA is seeking to put citizens at the centre of the struggle for electoral reforms, constitutionalism, and the expansion of democratisation.</p>
<h2>Undemocratic behaviour</h2>
<p>The Jubilee administration, buoyed by an overwhelming majority in both houses of parliament, appears to be trying to roll back Kenya’s democratic gains. The fact that the party is also in control of the executive makes matters worse.</p>
<p>This is exemplified by its forceful passage of the controversial bill to amend the electoral process in the middle of the election cycle. Parliamentarians pressed ahead with the bill despite being cautioned against doing so by a wide section of Kenyan society and the international community. Some parts of the bill seem well-intentioned. But others, such as the provisions that prioritise manual voting mechanisms over the current electronic system, don’t augur well for the country.</p>
<p>The Jubilee regime has also embarked on a crackdown of civil society organisations deemed to be sympathetic to the opposition coalition. These include the Kenya Human Rights commission and Africog, a governance and public ethics non-governmental organisation.</p>
<p>In addition, members of the party are openly calling for a “benevolent dictatorship” in Kenya. This call was first made by the Jubilee Party vice-chairman David Murathe.</p>
<p>Benevolent dictatorships – which operate on the basis that certain democratic rights need to be ceded for economic gain – are cited as the reason for the economic rise of countries such as China and Singapore. But the same may not necessarily be true for Kenya. Under the one party dictatorships of former presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi Kenya’s economy was stunted. In Africa the countries that have made economic progress such as Botswana, Namibia, and Mauritius are some of the most democratic.</p>
<h2>Odinga’s options</h2>
<p>Odinga has three options to make sure Kenya’s democracy is strengthened, and not weakened.</p>
<p>The first is to file another petition to the Supreme Court. He can bring the case in his own capacity or sponsor like-minded civil society organisations to petition the court. The petition would challenge the credibility of the repeat electoral process and the legitimacy of Kenyatta’s presidency.</p>
<p>The other option is to sustain a civil disobedience campaign. This would involve peaceful protests and other forms of opposition such as an economic boycott of goods and service providers associated with Kenyatta’s regime.</p>
<p>The opposition could also call for street protests. The danger with this is that they could turn violent. Since the August 8th election demonstrators have repeatedly clashed with police. And in certain parts of the country NASA and Jubilee supporters have clashed in confrontations that could escalate into ethnic violence.</p>
<p>A final and extreme option would be for the regions that support the alliance to secede. The secession debate, which was triggered by NASA technical advisor David Ndii, has excited the opposition’s support base. Odinga himself, though cautious, seems to be sympathetic if what he calls “electoral authoritarianism” persists.</p>
<p>In reality NASA should be pushing for Kenya’s devolved system of governance to be strengthened with a view to redrawing boundaries and creating a federal system. This approach is likely to be well received in alliance strongholds, particularly in regions where communities have felt marginalised and disenfranchised by successive Kenyan governments.</p>
<p>Where does this all leave Odinga? Regardless of his future political trajectory, he has left a positive mark on Kenya’s political landscape. He has been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy, good governance, and upholding the rule of law. The Supreme Court has vindicated him. This is in addition to his campaign for Kenyans to boycott the repeat election that resulted in low voter turnout, leaving Kenyatta reeling with legitimacy question.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86562/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />Odinga’s struggle for electoral integrity as a key cornerstone for democracy and rule of law should be supported by progressive forces across the continent. Retrogressive regimes have an uncanny way of entrenching themselves. Hence Odinga, and his alliance’s push should be contextualised in the wider struggle towards a functioning democracy for Africa.</p>
<p>Sekou Toure Otondi, PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, <em>University of Nairobi</em></p>
<p><em>This article was originally published on The Conversation. </em></p>


Why Odinga’s resistance movement could be important for democracy in Kenya

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<p>Amnesty International Researcher Abdullahi Halakhe said Kenya now needs a ‘healer in chief’ for national healing. This is after a disputed presidential election boycotted by opposition, which saw President Uhuru Kenyatta win with slightly more than 98 per cent of the vote. Halakhe joins CNBC Africa for more on the drama in Kenya&#8217;s disputed election rerun.</p>


Kenyan leaders challenged to spearhead national healing

<p data-reactid="38">Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga called for calm on Sunday as he visited a slum in the capital that was hit by violence when a political stand-off over a repeat presidential election fed into rising ethnic tensions.</p>
<div class="PrimaryAsset_container_2pnvl" data-reactid="39">
<p><div id="attachment_282846" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-282846" class="wp-image-282846 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/1571595826001_5560783766001_5560776180001-vs.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" /><p id="caption-attachment-282846" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Odinga speaks out as Kenya court nullifies president&#8217;s election win</em></p></div></p>
<p data-reactid="46">Clashes in Kawangware and in a village in western Kenya following Thursday’s vote were the first signs that face-offs between Odinga supporters and the police might eventually morph into neighbours turning against each other.</p>
<p data-reactid="48">“A country cannot be ruled by the gun. Standing here in this church we want to condemn the militarisation of politics in this country,” Odinga told residents in the Nairobi slum.</p>
<p>The veteran opposition leader had boycotted the re-run of an August presidential election that was nullified by Kenya’s Supreme Court on procedural grounds, leaving President Uhuru Kenyatta with an almost free run against six minor candidates.</p>
<p data-reactid="50">On Friday, a day after the repeat vote was held in most of the country, ethnic violence in Kawangware saw dozens of homes and shops torched and one man killed. Most of buildings torched belonged to residents from the Kenyatta’s Kikuyu tribe.</p>
<p data-reactid="51">One man from Odinga’s Luo group was killed overnight near Koguta village in the west of the country, after residents from two ethnic groups backing different candidates armed themselves.</p>
<p data-reactid="52">If such isolated incidents become a trend, it could ignite large swathes of Kenya, as happened after a 2007 presidential election when weeks of violence left 1,200 dead. That sent ripples throughout East Africa, which relies on Kenya as a trade and diplomatic hub.</p>
<p data-reactid="53">In his speech, Odinga condemned violence generally and did not single out any particular attack.</p>
<p data-reactid="54">“We have come here to give consolation to those who were beaten and killed. We as NASA condemn what happened,” he told worshippers at a church in Kawangware, referring to his National Super Alliance, an opposition coalition.</p>
<p data-reactid="55">Odinga boycotted Thursday’s vote because he said the contest would not be fair. Instead, he wanted the Oct. 26 contest dismissed and fresh elections held within 90 days.</p>
<p data-reactid="56">His withdrawal means Kenyans are watching the turnout, rather than the result, for an indication of Kenyatta’s popularity for a second, five-year term.</p>
<p data-reactid="57">Results published on Sunday by the election commission showed that Kenyatta had won slightly more than 98 percent of the vote with results in from 244 out of 291 constituencies.</p>
<p data-reactid="58">Turnout for the constituencies counted so far was 43 percent. That figure is likely to decrease when it includes returns of 0 from least 23 constituencies where authorities were unable to open even a single polling station because of protests by Odinga’s supporters.</p>
<p>The election board planned to try to hold elections there on Saturday, but postponed the plan amid fears of further violence.</p>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT" data-reactid="59">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="60">Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Catherine Evans</p>
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Kenya opposition leader calls for calm in slum hit by deadly violence

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<p>Protests against the ongoing repeat of the Kenya presidential elections continued on Friday, with police dispersing crowds of protesters in some parts of Nairobi and Western Kenya. On the other hand, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission expects to conduct the voting exercise in four counties on Saturday following disruptive protests on Thursday, which saw polling stations remain closed. Daniel Juma Omondi, Executive Director of the Kenya Chapter of the Global Peace Foundation joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


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Raila Odinga

Op-Ed: Jubilee, Kanu formalise coalition as internal battles rage in Kenya

Kenyan opposition suspends “People’s Assembly” after rivals meet

Kenya’s president and opposition leader pledge to heal divisions

Op-Ed: ‘People’s president’ gambit reignites power struggle as old as Kenya

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Broadcasters shut as thousands gather for Kenyan opposition ‘swearing in’

Hundreds of Kenyan opposition supporters gather for “swearing in” of Raila Odinga

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Kenyan opposition says a strategist arrested, no reason given

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SMEs pivotal to Rwanda’s target of 200 000 off-farm jobs

Kenyan Presidential poll petition hearing resumes

Political exclusion risks tearing Kenya apart, says opposition leader

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Kenyan leaders challenged to spearhead national healing

Kenya opposition leader calls for calm in slum hit by deadly violence

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