Polls will test our democratic maturity

The August General Election will be the second one since the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010. Constitutional experts have described the Kenyan supreme law as the most democratic and progressive on the continent - we are only second to the republic of South Africa in this regard.

The Constitution has placed emphasis on human rights and strong institutions. Kenya is, therefore, expected to achieve a high degree of democracy because of this. We are required to enhance the culture of democracy in the management of public affairs.

One salient feature of the Constitution is public participation. The country’s strong constitutional foundation should translate into good democratic practices. Among these are free and fair elections. Politicians have a duty to conduct their affairs in a manner that promotes good governance.

Violent behaviour is unacceptable in the new constitutional order, and so are divisive tendencies based on negative ethnically. Let us use the next General Election to demonstrate to the world that we are a mature democracy.