Why general elections leave our country polarised and fragile

Voter at a polling station. [File, Standard]

Undoubtedly, 2026 is the year for elevated political activism and strategic positioning for next year’s general election. Realignments will intensify. Coalitions will form. And, voters will begin to reshape their dispositions toward various political aspirants and their respective parties. This is all very fine except that we rarely stop to reflect on past electoral experiences.

Every election cycle in Kenya raises a familiar question: why, after more than three decades of multiparty politics, do we still struggle to hold peaceful and trusted elections? From the 1990s to the present, electoral violence, contested outcomes, voter manipulation, and post-election polarisation have recurred with disturbing consistency. I believe this is not simply a failure of institutions or laws. It is largely our failure to learn from our own history and to confront the deeper political culture that shapes our elections.