IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: Kenya

Republic of Kenya

52,214,791
Population (as of Feb. 8, 2019)

22,120,458
Registered Voters (as of None)

69.94%
Average Turnout

14
Elections in our database

V-Dem* Score: 0.549
Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Democracy
*Varieties of Democracy Electoral Democracy Index (2024)

CEDAW Status: Ratified
Ratified Date: March 9, 1984

SIGI* Score: 32.9
Level of Discrimination: Medium
*Social Institutions and Gender Index (2023)

CRPD Status: Signed and Ratified
Signed Date: March 30, 2007
Ratified Date: May 19, 2008

HDI* Score: 0.628
Category: Medium
*UNDP Human Development Index (2023)

Name	Official Name	Type
Kenyan National Assembly		Lower House
Kenyan Senate		Upper House
Kenyan Presidency	None	Head of State & Government

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President William RUTO (since 13 September 2022)
Head of Government: President William RUTO (since 13 September 2022)
Assembly: Kenya has a bicameral National Assembly (Bunge) consisting of the Senate with 67 seats and the National Assembly with 349 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by qualified majority vote to serve a 5-year term. To win outright in the first round, one must obtain a majority (50%+1 of the national vote), plus 25% of the vote in at least 50% of counties, which were introduced to decentralize power to the local level and better facilitate people's representation.
In the Senate 67 members are elected by qualified plurality vote to serve 5-year terms*. In the National Assembly 349 members are elected by qualified plurality vote to serve 5-year terms.**

* Kenya's 2010 Constitution introduced a Senate directly elected by the 47 single-member districts or counties. Each county has an elected executive and county assembly. On top of these 47 seats, 16 women must be nominated by political parties, according to their proportion of members in the Senate. Additionally, 2 members (1 man and 1 woman) representing the youth must be elected proportionally through party lists, and 2 members (1 man and 1 woman) representing people with disabilities must be elected proportionally through party lists. The speaker of the Senate will be an ex officio member.

** The 2010 Constitution introduced several requirements to better facilitate minority representation and devolve power to the local level. In addition to these 290 parliamentary seats, members are nominated by parliament through party lists, in proportion to their nationwide vote share. They must be apportioned to represent special interests of minorities, youth, and persons with disabilities. In addition, 47 women must be elected by registered voters in the 47 counties. The speaker of the National Assembly will be an ex-officio member.

IFES Resources:

Does IFES have a presence in Kenya: Yes, Field Office
Election Judgements: Yes, 3
Election FAQs: Yes

Elections

2022-08-09 | Status: Held
Kenyan Senate
Votes -
Registered 22,120,458
Turnout -

2022-08-09 | Status: Held
Kenyan National Assembly
Votes -
Registered 22,120,458
Turnout -

2022-08-09 | Status: Held
Kenyan Presidency
Votes 14,326,751
Registered 22,120,458
Turnout 64.77

2017-10-26 | Status: Held
Kenyan Presidency
Votes 7,616,217
Registered 19,611,423
Turnout 38.84

2017-08-08 | Status: Held
Kenyan Senate
Votes 15,593,050
Registered 19,611,423
Turnout 79.51

2017-08-08 | Status: Held
Kenyan National Assembly
Votes 15,593,050
Registered 19,611,423
Turnout 79.51

2013-03-04 | Status: Held
Kenyan National Assembly
Votes 12,330,781
Registered 14,388,781
Turnout 85.7

2013-03-04 | Status: Held
Kenyan Presidency
Votes 12,330,028
Registered 14,352,533
Turnout 85.91

2013-03-04 | Status: Held
Kenyan Senate
Votes 12,131,294
Registered 14,388,781
Turnout 84.31

2010-08-04 | Status: Held
Referendum
Votes 9,106,285
Registered 12,616,627
Turnout 72.18

2007-12-27 | Status: Held
Kenyan Presidency
Votes 9,877,028
Registered 14,267,764
Turnout 69.23

2005-11-21 | Status: Held
Referendum
Votes 6,158,072
Registered 11,800,000
Turnout 52.19

2002-12-27 | Status: Held
Kenyan National Assembly
Votes -
Registered 10,491,080
Turnout -

2002-12-27 | Status: Held
Kenyan Presidency
Votes 5,975,910
Registered 10,451,150
Turnout 57.18

Election For	Date	Status	Votes	Registered Voters	Turnout
Kenyan Senate	2022-08-09	Held	-	22,120,458	-
Kenyan National Assembly	2022-08-09	Held	-	22,120,458	-
Kenyan Presidency	2022-08-09	Held	14,326,751	22,120,458	64.77
Kenyan Presidency	2017-10-26	Held	7,616,217	19,611,423	38.84
Kenyan Senate	2017-08-08	Held	15,593,050	19,611,423	79.51
Kenyan National Assembly	2017-08-08	Held	15,593,050	19,611,423	79.51
Kenyan National Assembly	2013-03-04	Held	12,330,781	14,388,781	85.7
Kenyan Presidency	2013-03-04	Held	12,330,028	14,352,533	85.91
Kenyan Senate	2013-03-04	Held	12,131,294	14,388,781	84.31
Referendum	2010-08-04	Held	9,106,285	12,616,627	72.18
Kenyan Presidency	2007-12-27	Held	9,877,028	14,267,764	69.23
Referendum	2005-11-21	Held	6,158,072	11,800,000	52.19
Kenyan National Assembly	2002-12-27	Held	-	10,491,080	-
Kenyan Presidency	2002-12-27	Held	5,975,910	10,451,150	57.18

Voter Turnout

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