dc.description.abstract | In 27 December 2007, Kenyans went to the polls to e
lect their presidential, parliamentary, and
civic leaders. This general election was described
as replete with serious anomalies—a situation
that continues to raise serious doubts about the va
lidity of the electoral process. On 30 December
2007, after three days of uncertainty, the Electora
l Commission of Kenya (ECK) Chairman,
Samuel Kivuitu, announced Mwai Kibaki's re-election
amidst chaos. According to ECK, Kibaki
(Party of National Unity – PNU) won the presidentia
l election with 4,584,721 votes (46 percent),
against 4,352,903 (44 percent) garnered by Odinga (
Orange Democratic Party –ODM).
The whole process was less than transparent, castin
g doubt on the credibility of the electoral
outcome, especially the presidential election. The
majority of those involved—whether media,
civil society organizations, politicians, religious
institutions, leaders, even ordinary citizens—
were perceived as politically tainted, partisan, or
compromised. Many felt that the churches,
which prior to the referendum on the draft constitu
tion of 2005 were regarded as voices of reason
and moral authority, had failed in the 2007 electio
ns to provide visionary and unbiased
leadership. This essay discusses the background to
the violence and critically analyzes varied
church responses as well as the implications of the
se responses for political stability in Kenya | en |