Costly, corruption-riddled and violent elections are not worth it

Some of the vandalised vihecles at Downhill Spring Resort in Kaburengu area, Lugari Constituency owned by DAP-K candidate for Malava parliamentary by-election Seth Panyako, which are allegedly to have been damaged by armed goons on the eve of Thursday.[Benard Lusigi/Standard]

By-elections in Kenya are fights of pride. We can equate them with the event in Greek mythology known as the Judgment of Paris. In this account, the goddess of strife, Eris, tossed a golden apple inscribed “to the fairest” among the gods. Three goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, fought bitterly over it, and their chase of vanity led to the Judgment of Paris, which in turn sparked the Trojan War. This decade-long conflict consumed nations and left no true victor. It was a fight for pride that yielded only ruin.

Kenya’s by-elections are our own golden apple: Contests of muscle-flexing where millions of shillings are spent, projects stall, and citizens gain little in return. This week Kenyans went to the polls in 22 electoral areas: Six constituencies, one senatorial seat, and 15 county assembly wards. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) set aside Sh700 million to conduct these mini-polls.