Democracy & Peaceful Elections - Every Citizen's Right

Kenyans went to the national elections on Tuesday, August 9 with pregnant anticipation for a transitional government devoid of the perennial conflicts and disruptions witnessed in past elections.

Following an election preparedness plan, the national government, through the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government in collaboration with the private security sector and other multi-stakeholder agencies, worked around the clock to maintain a sense of calm, peace, and stability throughout the country.

Apart from isolated incidents involving election malpractice and threatening electoral officials, technical failure of about 200 Kenya Integrated Election Management (KIEMS) kits, and an incident involving a member of parliament fatally shooting an opponent's aide, the exercise went on without a hitch.

On the day of voting, Tuesday, August 9, Nairobi, especially the central business district (CBD), was remarkably quiet, with almost all businesses closed and streets deserted.?

At Senaca East Africa Limited, our central control room monitored the situation on a 24/7 basis, updating clients on any suspicious and unusual activities around their premises. With our dedicated Quick Response Team (QRT) and management supervision team on the ground, any eventualities were addressed and incidents arrested at the earliest opportune time.

Photo: Monitoring Presidential Elections Results - Photo by E. Mogambi

As the election results started trickling in, there was little activity in the capital on the morning of Wednesday, August 10, with most parts of the city experiencing transportation problems. However, as the day progressed, the city, especially the CBD, started experiencing a burst of life with some businesses opening, increased means of transport by public vehicles and "Boda Bodas", and pedestrians.

On to a beautiful Thursday morning, and we are looking forward to the official announcement of the Presidential results (which, from past experience, are mostly contested) by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). An aura of trepidation hangs in the air in anticipation.

However, looking at the voting patterns and the calm that has reigned so far, which can be attributed to the election preparedness plans by different stakeholders and more so the National Police Service (who have without doubt carried themselves exceptionally well), we do not foresee cases of violence or mass disruption of activities, service delivery or civil order across the country.

Nevertheless, as a resilience measure, we are keeping in close contact with all multi-agencies involved in the election preparedness planning to monitor and proactively detect any warning signs. Undoubtedly, we believe that collectiveness promotes optimism, a sense of vision, and sense-making of complex situations as they arise. Furthermore, shared situational awareness promotes a common understanding of the circumstances that may lead to any fallout and their consequences.

Commending the national government and the National Police Service for securing our electoral process and the general public so far, we would like to point out that as we await the official announcement of the presidential winner, now is the time to put into practice our collaborative learning (combining information and knowledge), sense-making, and experimentation in coping with any inevitable vulnerabilities and threats to our public order and stability.

To a peaceful and prosperous Kenya with plenty within our borders!