Rebekka Rumpel

Este archivo solo abarca los artículos del autor incorporados a este sitio a partir del 1 de diciembre de 2006. Para fechas anteriores realice una búsqueda entrecomillando su nombre.

A Kenyan security force member in Nairobi on 30 October. Photo: Getty Images.

MundoÁfrica,

Kenya’s presidential election of 8 August was annulled by the Supreme Court, which ruled it unconstitutional – a historic first for the country, and for Africa. The election was repeated on 26 October. Turnout fell from 79.5 per cent to 38.8 per cent as the effects of opposition leader Raila Odinga’s boycott, broader public disenchantment with the credibility of the process and political fatigue made themselves felt. Even in areas supportive of the incumbent, President Uhuru Kenyatta, participation dropped sharply. On Monday 30 October, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Kenyatta the winner, with 98 per cent of the vote.…  Seguir leyendo »

Raila Odinga arrives at a polling station on 8 August. Photo: Getty Images.

MundoÁfrica, ,

Raila Odinga is refusing to accept his likely loss in the 8 August presidential election, as he did in 1997, 2007 and 2013, because he claims the vote has been rigged against him.

While at the time of writing there seems to be less evidence that supports his assertions than in 2007 and 2013, the murder of the head of IT at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and the IEBC’s decision to announce unofficial results, has created doubts in the mind of voters about the integrity of this election.

In a speech at Chatham House in 2016, Odinga emphasised that Kenya’s electoral body must be transparent in order to enable elections that are not only peaceful, but credible.…  Seguir leyendo »

Kenya's new railway begins its inaugural journey. Photo: Getty Images.

MundoÁfrica

On 31 May, Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and his election campaign team descended on Mombasa for the inauguration of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The SGR is Kenya’s biggest infrastructure project since independence, and its first new railway since Britain opened East Africa to imperial control with the completion of the 'lunatic line' in 1901.

Kenyatta is in the midst of his campaign to secure a second term as president, and hopes the opening of the railway will substantiate his core message to voters: that he has improved the country’s infrastructure and economy. However, the high cost of the project – at a time of spiralling food prices – has clouded the SGR’s grand unveiling.…  Seguir leyendo »