Kenya’s election rips open scars of inequality, corruption

Aug 3, 2022, 12:09 AM | Updated: 9:13 pm

A man pushes a bicycle past campaign posters for Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, referr...

A man pushes a bicycle past campaign posters for Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, referred to affectionately as "Baba", the Swahili word for "father", and his running mate Martha Karua, in the low-income Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, July 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In the shadow of a glossy, thousand-dollar campaign billboard, one of many across Kenya’s capital, street vendors struggle to make even 200 shillings ($1.68) a day and often pocket none.

Kenya’s Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa’s economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The vastly rich son of the country’s founding leader, Kenyatta has deflected graft allegations by calling for transparency but done little in a decade in power to enable it.

The vendors on a barren patch along Nairobi’s Outer Ring Road can hardly grasp the enormous amounts of money spent on next week’s election. Few can. In Kenya, candidates aren’t required to publicly account for campaign donations or spending. But voters have watched the helicopters and long convoys that have whisked top candidates around the country for months.

“They’re spending millions of dollars, but I’m not sure if it’s their own money or the public’s money,” said Martin Wambua, who sells secondhand clothes and rarely is able to save anything from his earnings.

“I know the (election spending) can fund more than 10 people a day,” estimated Joseph Kaguthi, who walks everywhere selling baked goods and says he often eats just one daily meal. “But I’m a poor man, and maybe the way I talk is distant from the way it is.”

Rising prices for food and fuel, exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and following the economic pain of the COVID-19 pandemic, add to the traditional ethnic tensions in a vote called so closely contested that Kenya might go to a runoff election for the first time.

How the country of 56 million people will cope with extended uncertainty is a major question given a recent history of turbulent elections. The vote “will be an opportunity for Kenya to showcase its democracy to the world,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, arguing for “a peaceful and transparent democratic process.”

Kenya’s 2017 vote saw results overturned by the courts, a first in Africa. Longtime opposition contender Raila Odinga boycotted the ordered re-vote and declared himself the “people’s president” in a mock swearing-in that led to allegations of treason. The standoff ended when Kenyatta and Odinga, the son of Kenya’s first vice president, shared a public handshake.

Now, in the latest twist of Kenya’s shifting alliances, Kenyatta is backing former rival Odinga to succeed him after falling out with his deputy president, 55-year-old William Ruto, the other main presidential candidate and a former Odinga ally.

Ruto was indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity for his role in violence following the 2007 election that killed more than 1,000 people after Odinga alleged he had been cheated out of victory. An ICC indictment is hardly a bar to the presidency; Kenyatta was indicted over the turmoil, too. Both men saw their cases terminated amid allegations of witness tampering.

Said to be one of Kenya’s richest men after a decade as deputy president, Ruto promotes himself to the young and poor as a “hustler” who rose from humble beginnings as a chicken seller in contrast to the elite backgrounds of Kenyatta and Odinga.

He says he seeks greater agricultural productivity and financial inclusion. Agriculture is a main driver of Kenya’s economy and about 70% of the rural workforce is in farming, while informal street vendors make up the majority of non-farm work.

“Our economic system is rigged against small people,” Ruto said in a campaign video. The video came out as a court ordered his wealthy running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, to repay to the state about $1.6 million that was determined to be the proceeds of corruption.

Ruto has said he would accept the election’s outcome “whichever way it goes.”

The 77-year-old Odinga, making his fifth and likely final try to win the presidency, is campaigning closely with running mate Martha Karua, a former justice minister who could become Kenya’s first female deputy president.

Karua has caught the attention of women in a country that fails to meet a gender quota for elective bodies like Parliament and where female candidates commonly face harassment.

Odinga, famous for being jailed while fighting for multi-party democracy decades ago, has promised cash handouts to Kenya’s poorest while saying “the middle class, of course, know how to look after themselves.” He has said he’ll accept election results “as long as they’re free and fair.”

When asked how much they were spending on the election, an Odinga spokesman told The Associated Press they will conduct a financial audit to find out at the end of the campaign. A spokesman for Ruto didn’t respond.

Ruto and Odinga say they’ll fight corruption, but non-governmental organizations sigh over Kenya’s failure to address the graft that eats away at everyday lives. The vendors on Nairobi’s Outer Ring Road described having to bribe hospitals for timely treatment and the city’s notorious inspection officers to avoid alleged petty offenses.

Corruption is said to be widespread among those running for office. Interior Minister Fred Matiangi has described Parliament candidates handing out as little as 100 shillings (84 cents) to win votes in villages.

The underfunded Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission, which sought to cap presidential campaign spending at 4.4 billion shillings ($36 million), has accused some politicians of buying people’s identification cards to keep them from voting for rivals.

“Out of the 214 persons blacklisted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission as morally and ethically unfit to hold public office, the (electoral commission) barred only six individuals,” Transparency International Kenya and other watchdogs said in June. For the rest, “the commission seems to have thrown their hands in the air.”

Kenyans want a peaceful election with results accepted by all sides.

“If we fight, it will basically backfire more on us than on them,” said Andrew Atonya, part of a production company that staged a play in Nairobi asking voters to avoid falling prey to election divisions. “They abuse each other,” he said of candidates, “but behind the curtain, they’re friends.”

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              FILE - Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, and his wife Margaret Kenyatta, right, arrive to view the body of former President Mwai Kibaki lying in state at parliament in Nairobi, Kenya on April 25, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
            
              FILE - Kenyan Presidential candidate Raila Odinga, second left, and his running mate Martha Karua, center, meet with international journalists and other media stakeholders for a briefing on the forthcoming elections in Nairobi, Kenya on July 18, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
            
              Pedestrians walk past a billboard for Kenyan presidential candidate William Ruto, in the low-income Mathare neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, July 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              FILE - Kenyan presidential candidate William Ruto speaks during the state funeral of former President Mwai Kibaki, in the capital Nairobi, Kenya on April 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi, File)
            
              A billboard asking Kenyans to vote for Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, referred to affectionately as "Baba", the Swahili word for "father", and his running mate Martha Karua, rises above shacks in the low-income Mathare neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, July 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              FILE - Former Prime Minister and Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga speaks during the state funeral of former President Mwai Kibaki, in the capital Nairobi, Kenya on April 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi, File)
            
              A bus drives past banners for Kenyan presidential candidates Raila Odinga, left, and William Ruto, right, on a road in the Mathare low-income neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              Youths play soccer on a dirt pitch in the Kibera low-income neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              Kenyan presidential candidate William Ruto, center, addresses a roadside rally during presidential campaigning in the low-income Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya on Jan. 18, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              FILE - Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, center, waves to supporters during an election campaign rally with his running mate Martha Karua in the low-income Kawangware neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya on July 16, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
            
              FILE - Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, center, waves to supporters during an election campaign rally with his running mate Martha Karua in the low-income Kawangware neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya on July 16, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
            
              Men supervise oil drums distilling a home-brewed alcoholic spirit known locally as "chang'aa", in the Mathare low-income neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              A billboard asking Kenyans to vote for Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, referred to affectionately as "Baba", the Swahili word for "father", and his running mate Martha Karua, rises above shacks in the low-income Mathare neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, July 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              A man sleeps on the streets after drinking a home-brewed alcoholic spirit known locally as "chang'aa", in the Mathare low-income neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              Kenyan presidential candidate William Ruto, center, addresses a roadside rally during presidential campaigning in the low-income Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya on Jan. 18, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, center-right, gestures to supporters from his vehicle during an election campaign rally with his running mate Martha Karua in the low-income Kawangware neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya on July 16, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
            
              A man pushes a bicycle past campaign posters for Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga, referred to affectionately as "Baba", the Swahili word for "father", and his running mate Martha Karua, in the low-income Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, July 29, 2022. Kenya's Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa's economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

AP

FILE - U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz listens during a news conference, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washi...

Associated Press

US Border Patrol chief is retiring after seeing through end of Title 42 immigration restrictions

The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced Tuesday that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions.

1 day ago

FILE - President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., on the House steps as...

Associated Press

House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

The House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.

1 day ago

Sean Bickings (Family Photo via city of Tempe)...

Associated Press

Family of man who drowned last year in Tempe Town Lake files wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a man who drowned in Tempe Town Lake a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city Wednesday, noting that its police department doesn't have a policy requiring officers to go into the water to save someone.

1 day ago

(Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS...

Associated Press

Florida police search for 3 gunmen who wounded 9 at crowded beach on Memorial Day

Police are responding to a shooting near the beach broadwalk in Hollywood, Florida.

3 days ago

Crew members assemble the main stage ahead of the 2023 Scripps Nations Spelling Bee on Sunday, May ...

Associated Press

Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion

As the final pre-competition meeting of the Scripps National Spelling Bee's word selection panel stretches into its seventh hour, the pronouncers no longer seem to care.

3 days ago

FILE - Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt, wipes a tear from her face during a news conference o...

Associated Press

Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’

The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys for Petito's parents.

6 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

Kenya’s election rips open scars of inequality, corruption