Are credible, free, fair polls a myth of reality in Kenya?

To understand what it takes to conduct credible, free and fair elections, we must first know the meaning of these terms.

Credible elections mean the entire electoral process enjoys trust, support and confidence of voters, candidates, their supporters, observers and all stakeholders and results are accepted and embraced by competitors.

Free elections mean people elect their representatives on the principle that, every eligible voter is equally important irrespective of their material worth or social class and have a right to be involved and participate in those elections, without hindrances or interferences.

For elections to be declared free, the will of voters must be seen to have been expressed through their equal and unhindered participation and without discrimination and pressure.

The electoral authorities are required to be dependable and ensure that during the election period, potential voters and registered voters are afforded equal access to registration and to voting without discrimination, ensuring the election is conducted in accordance with the law and all those participating in it, abide by the law.

Elections cannot be free without secret ballot, which helps to insulate the voting process and voters from intimidation and electoral malpractices.

Fair elections mean the political playing field is reasonably level and all players have equitable opportunities to vote and receive political education.

A fair election is one where everyone is treated equitably and equally. Election authorities are required to be honest and oversee an electoral process, which is open and transparent not disrupted by violence, intimidation or coercion.

Planning and precise preparations for elections are critical in the management, supervision and conduct of elections. Since elections are not a one-day event, all aspects and activities in the electoral cycle/process need dedicated special attention because each step is linked and geared towards achievement of a credible, free and fair election.

If one step for example, voter registration or voter education is mismanaged, the election cannot be credible and its results can be easily undermined by the impact of the mismanaged step.

Although we may not pay a lot of attention to preparations and planning activities for an election, such as procurement of elections materials, if the process is not done early enough, it becomes expensive and if mismanaged, it compromises the outcome. Since the re-introduction of multiparty elections in 1992, we have witnessed increased numbers of elections petitions contesting results of parliamentary elections. All presidential election results have been contested with some resulting in violent clashes including serious post-election violence like in 2007.

These elections are contested because losers do not trust the election authorities; often accusing them of either colluding to rig them out or facilitating especially the incumbent, to fraudulently win or steal victory.

Therefore, we can agree that most elections may have been free because eligible voters were allowed access to all electoral processes but same elections were not credible or fair because they did not enjoy the trust, confidence and support of all stakeholders and the political playing field has never been reasonably level for all competitors.

One can also reasonably conclude that without colossal sums of money, it is impossible to win in Kenya; making elections accessible only to the super-wealthy elites; thereby undermining their credibility.