There is urgent need to reclaim electoral integrity in East Africa

Electoral integrity in East Africa is a critical test for democratic maturity. It demands far more than the absence of violence. It requires a moral mandate for transparency and institutional independence. A level playing field remains a regional dream. Electoral commissions hardly operate free from executive capture. The rule of law does not bind  incumbents and challengers equally. With the absence of these safeguards, the ballot box becomes a hollow ritual. It fails to translate the people’s will into legitimate authority.

Biometric kits and digital transmissions promised accuracy. Instead, a paradox of 'digital authoritarianism' now threatens the landscape. It has become common to see technology frequently used to stifle dissent through internet shutdowns. States weaponise cybercrime laws against the press and bloggers. This shrinking civic space proves technical efficiency cannot replace trust. Restricted observers and throttled social media void the "quality guarantee." This fuels voter apathy and a breakdown of public trust.

Reclaiming integrity in this region is an urgent necessity. A digitally-mobile youth population refuses to accept predetermined outcomes. Success requires a shift away from "competitive authoritarianism." We need a model of restorative ethics and inclusive participation. East Africa must transition toward sustained democracy. The focus must return to protecting the secrecy of the vote. We must ensure voter safety and honest counts. Only then can the region's Nilotic, Bantu, and Cushitic voices truly govern.

The regional struggle for integrity faces two critical tests. South Sudan’s December 2026 elections—its first since independence—offer a fragile hope for stable, citizen-led democracy. However, delayed constitutional reforms and the need to unify security forces threaten the safety of its diverse people groups. Meanwhile, Kenya’s 2027 polls must mend a growing "trust deficit" and end the political commercialisation alienating the youth. For both, true legitimacy requires shifting away from coercion toward independent electoral commissions that act as neutral referees.

Electoral integrity is about the sanctity of the process, not just polling day logistics. For South Sudan, this means replacing the legacy of the gun with a civic space where the people’s voice is final. For Kenya, it requires dismantling "competitive authoritarianism" that treats ballots as commodities rather than sacred rights. Within the East African Community’s (EAC) shared destiny, these elections must reject the "Ahab spirit" of state-sponsored deception. Instead, they must embrace transparent frameworks that honour the divine image and political agency of every citizen.

The political dramas in the EAC reveal a chilling paradox. Uganda reported a 72 per cent win while Tanzania claimed 98 per cent. In both nations, military boots dominate the public consciousness. The secular mindset of the ruling party architects labels this as "stability." But the eye of truth sees political bankruptcy. Since their manipulative and corrupt systems have exhausted their "bread of life," they now desperately feed on the dust of intimidation by the use of brute force.

Amidst the confusion caused by the brute use of force, one thing has often stood starkly out of place: The presence of men of the cloth—bishops, priests, imams, or sheikhs—at the swearing-in of the fraudulent "winner" of the general elections. This visual endorsement by religious leadership provides a veneer of sanctity to a stolen mandate. Yet, the same clergy stay mum as ordinary citizens get abused as if they were sheep without shepherds. This silence in the face of suffering is a betrayal of the prophetic calling to speak truth to power.

Unfortunately, these crises unfold where leaders loudly proclaim religious beliefs. Uganda’s 2026 patterns replicate the precedent set by Tanzania in 2025. In those struggles, brute force claimed many innocent lives. In both cases, the youth and Gen-Z demonstrators were merely demanding a voice in their future but were met with the terror of a bankrupt force. The contrast between upcoming polls and these precedents remains sharp. Africa now watches South Sudan’s delayed 2026 elections and Kenya's 2027 elections. In both nations, they must choose between the path of the good shepherd or coercion.

It is not lost to the true eye that a chilling spiritual disconnect fuels this violence. Leaders perceive citizens as "mere humans" or their subjects. As such, they view the shedding of blood with callous indifference. The citizen is treated like Lazarus at the gate. Leaders manage them as an inconvenience rather than persons of dignity. That is why those who walk the corridors of raw power view loss of human life as a necessary cost, a mere price or collateral to grab or retain power. They do this to maintain the divide between the palace and village.

The regional crisis manifests the story of Ahab and Naboth. Despite his wealth, King Ahab found no rest from his greed. His ego demanded Naboth’s small, ancestral vineyard. Naboth refused to trade his God-given inheritance. The King then activated the machinery of state power. Through state-sponsored deception, Ahab seized the land. This ancient greed mirrors modern political theft. They are siezed by the spirit of idolatrously insucciable greed for more!

Leaders acting in the spirit of Ahab use arms to "secure" results. The cast vote is the Naboth’s Vineyard of our time. It is the sacred inheritance of the citizen. When guns silence that voice, leadership lacks true humanness. It trades the shepherd’s staff for the tyrant’s sword. Like Ahab, such leaders possess no peace, even to the fourth generation. A throne resting on gunpowder creates weighty oppression.

Tanzania, Uganda, and the EAC now inhabit a place of refinement. The drought of justice continues to persist but we must look past our empty jars. The system claims we have no voice or power. But a heart filled with the Spirit seeks righteousness. We must reject the urge for hatred or despair. Radical forgiveness is our unwavering demand for truth. No military police can breach the Father’s house.