The Interplay between Kenya’s Electoral System and Political Economy: A Critical Analysis Kenya’s political infrastructure consists of a delicate web

The interaction that exists between the two, determines:

·?????? How the country is governed;

·?????? How its economy is developed, and;

·?????? How the nation maintains stability.

I have written this article to examine the impact of the Kenyan electoral system on its political economy. By using academic theories and models to provide a thorough understanding of the subject I have begun with the

Historical background of the Kenyan electoral system

Kenya achieved independence in 1963, after which its political structure underwent multiple transformations. The electoral selection system experienced a similarly transformative history, with periods of autocracy, one-party dominance, and limited-party democracy. The 2010 Kenyan Constitution initiated profound changes within the electoral selection system designed to increase transparency, fairness, and inclusiveness. However, despite these reforms, the Kenyan electoral process continues to witness ethnic dichotomy, electoral violence, and legitimacy debates. The political economy of Kenya when it comes to the economy, Kenya is a country with predominantly agricultural and partly industrial and service sectors. Moreover, the trends have indicated that services and technology industries have started to comprise a larger percentage of the state’s GDP.

Within the Kenya economy, there exists a significant disparity of socio-economic quality within the population. According to Acemoglu and Robinson in Why Nations Fail, the political institutions of a nation significantly influence economic outcomes. Acemoglu and Co. are arguing that political elites often rely on economic resources to win power, which influence election results.

Theoretical framework: cleavages in voting behaviour

The theoretical framework for the manifest behaviour of voters during the election proved to be the Cleavage Structures, Party Systems, and Voter Alignments created by Lipset and Rokkan. According to these researchers, social cleavages influence political parties and voters. There are many types of such social opinions, including class, religion, ethnicity, among others. In Kenya, ethnic cleavages are the most noticeable and significant. This is reflected in political party members in the country. The external socio-economic disparity is encapsulated by the theory of Douglass North’s Institutions and economic outcomes in a more broader perspective. As such, some entities always vote for economic development evident in the existing institutional paradigm.

Finally, Kenya’s first-past-the-post electoral system was designed in such a way as to encourage the formation of large political parties. Nevertheless, due to its dominant “all-at-once win” system, it encouraged ethnic mobilization, as some communities were left at the margins of the political process. There were incidents of whole areas joining the side of the politician who promised to give them support. Hence, “many winners-takes-it-all” should be noticed. Many examples have been documented where violence occurred in Kenyan elections, which allows for evidence of radical voting behaviour in adoption to the socio-economic condition of the country.

Electoral system and ethnic mobilization.

Economic disparities and electoral outcomes solutions are in the Electoral Reform and Inclusive Growth. The current voting option is inadequate to provide significant reforms. The best alternative is proportional representation. It suits the purpose of countering extremist voting habits and giving smaller communities more perspective. As for the economic gap, the issue stems from the fact that the level of satisfaction that can be given to a majority of people would increase without compromising growth. As per non-favouring large parties, smaller competitors will represent more communities, and the level of voting radicals should decrease. The solution is that a more equitable Kenyan future size of a rural fishing village on the coast of Lake Victoria to one of Africa’s most prosperous nations is a dream to many Kenyans.

References

• Lipset, S. M., & Rokkan, S. (1967). Cleavage Structures, Party Systems, and Voter Alignments.
• Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A. (2012). Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty.
• North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance.