Kenya is voting on Tuesday to choose the successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been in power for 10 years. The race is just around the corner, and for the first time ever there may be a runoff vote.
One of his top contenders is Lailaodinga. He is the leader of the opposition party and has run for president on his five occasions, being endorsed by his former rival Kenyatta. Another is William Ruto, who fell out with the president on behalf of Kenyatta.
Both tend to focus more on domestic issues, and the question of how to follow up on Kenyatta's diplomatic efforts to quell tensions in neighboring Ethiopia and conflicts between Rwanda and Congo.
What is at risk?
Kenya is the economic capital of East Africa, with a population of approximately 56 million people. lives in The country has a recent history of tumultuous elections. Still, some elections have been seriously challenged, with longtime leaders such as Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni being declared winners with nearly 99% of the vote or widely criticized. The relative stability in regions with Physically crack down on your competitors.
There is no transparency in campaign donations and spending in Kenya. Some candidates for Congress and other posts are estimated to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, both legally and illegally, to gain access to power and its benefits.
} What are the main candidate platforms?
Root, 55, has a humble career as a chicken seller as opposed to elites like Kenyatta and Odinga. Selling himself to the young and the poor as a 'hustler' who rose from the ground up. He calls for increased agricultural productivity and financial inclusion.
Agriculture is the main driver of Kenya's economy, with around 70% of the rural workforce employed in agriculture. In his final election speech on Saturday, he said his government would spend 200 billion shillings ($1.6 billion) a year to increase job opportunities if elected.
Odinga, 77, famously imprisoned for fighting for multi-party democracy decades ago, is one of Kenya's poorest and has more accessible healthcare than any other. promised to provide In his final election speech on Saturday, he said his government would begin paying his 6,000 shillings ($50) to families living below the poverty line in his first 100 days if elected. .
What do voters care about? There is some apathy, especially among young people in countries with a median age of about 20. The Electoral Commission has signed. Just 2.5 million, less than half the expected new voters.
Key issues in any election include widespread corruption and the economy. Kenyans have been hit hard by rising food and fuel prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and it comes after the economic woes of the COVID-19 pandemic. more than 1 of them are unemployed.
When will Kenya win?
Official results will be announced within one week after voting. To win outright, a candidate must win more than half of all votes and at least 25% of the vote in more than half of her 47 counties in Kenya. If there is no outright winner, this means a runoff vote will be held within 30 days.
The last presidential election in 2017 made history when the Supreme Court overturned the results and ordered a new vote for the first time in Africa. If the Court again requests a new ballot, such election shall be held within 60 days of the decision. A candidate or other person must file a petition with the court within one week after the results are declared, and the court will give him two weeks to rule on it.
"I want you to know that as a country we are at an inflection point," Odinga told the audience listening to Saturday's election speech. "Either something very good happens, or something terrible happens."
He vowed to shake the hand of his "rival" whether he won or lost.
Root said Saturday that he "respects the decisions of the people of Kenya" and will not tolerate violence or participate in anything that undermines the constitution.
