For Kenya, 2017 was a year lost in bad politics

On reflection, I consider 2017 a lost year for Kenyans. Right from the start of the electioneering season in January, the IEBC raised the political temperatures by tabulating a yearlong calendar of election-related events and deadlines. The drums of war started much earlier from around September 2016, both sitting and aspiring politicians had embarked on their preparations for the elections. Everything else was set aside and the economy came to standstill. Politics in Kenya is a dangerous game. The likelihood of people fighting because their preferred candidate has lost is very high.

Like the premier league games, the costs and resultants benefits for the protagonists in political campaigns are prohibitive in Kenya. Therefore, elections are not only a dangerous game like bullfighting but it is also big business just like the premier league soccer games in Europe where interested lobbyist and vested interests raise the stakes. The contenders often are willing to inject huge sums of money in the hope that victory for their candidate shall lead to good returns. This is why elections in Kenya are not about issues but about the outcome (businesswise) and the possible financial gains for the winners.