At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Kenya

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Mwai KIBAKI
• Head of Government: President Mwai KIBAKI
• Assembly: Kenya has a unicameral National Assembly (Bunge) with 224 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by qualified plurality vote to serve a 5-year term.*
• In the National Assembly (Bunge), 210 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies, 12 members are appointed by the president and 2 members are reserved ex officio.***

* In addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff;

*** Out of the 224 members, 210 of the representatives are elected by popular vote while another 12 are appointed by the president on recommendations by political parties in Parliament. The remaining two members of the Bunge are ex-officio members. All members serve five year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Mwai KIBAKI
  • Party: Party of National Unity (PNU)
• Raila ODINGA
  • Party: Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
• Stephen KALONZO Musyoka
  • Party: Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K)
• Other candidates
  • Party: N/A

Last Presidential election:

• Last presidential election was held on December 27, 2002. KIBAKI was elected by 63% of the vote over Uhuru KENYATTA who received 30%.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 37,250,540 (2007)
• Registered Voters: 14,296,180 (2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 18,629,937 (2007)

·         Is Kenya a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Kenya ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (9 March 1984)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 21 (National Assembly) (following the 2007 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 145 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Kenya a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Kenya ratified CRPD: Yes (19 May 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 5,587,581 (est.)