General elections were held in Kenya on Tuesday, 9 August 2022. Voters elected the president, governors, senators, members of the National Assembly, and members of county assemblies.
This was the third general election and the fourth presidential one since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution. Incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta was not eligible for a third term according to the constitution, nor county governors who had served two terms. The 2022 general election saw the lowest number of presidential candidates cleared since the multi-party system was implemented in 1992. Parliamentarians were elected to sit in the 13th Parliament of Kenya.
William Ruto was elected President of Kenya with 50.5% of the vote, defeating Raila Odinga who received 48.85% of the vote. On 22 August, Odinga filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Kenya challenging the results announced by Wafula Chebukati, the chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. On 5 September, the Supreme Court rejected the challenge and upheld Ruto's victory. Observers had described the elections as largely peaceful and transparent. Odinga said he would respect the court verdict, although he still claimed victory.
Background
The Constitution of Kenya requires that a general election of members of parliament be held on the second Tuesday of August on every fifth year, which meant that the general election was scheduled for 9 August 2022. If Kenya is at war, the election can be delayed if a resolution is passed in each House of Parliament by at least two-thirds of all the members of the House. Such a resolution can delay the election by up to six months, and may be passed multiple times provided that the delays do not cumulatively exceed 12 months.
The constitution requires that a presidential election take place at the same time as the general election. In the event that prior to the next general election the position of president falls vacant and the office of deputy president is also vacant (who otherwise would assume the office of president), a presidential election could be held at an earlier date. According to the constitution, in such circumstances, an election needs to be held within sixty days after the vacancy arose in the office of president.
Incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta was not eligible to pursue a third term due to the two-term limit in the constitution. County governors who had served two terms at the helms of their respective counties were also ineligible for a third term.
Electoral system
The President of Kenya is elected using a modified version of the two-round system: to win in the first round, a candidate must receive over 50% of the vote nationally and 25% of the vote in at least 24 of Kenya's 47 counties. If no candidate achieves this, a second round is held between the top two candidates, in which the candidate with the most votes wins.
The Parliament of Kenya consists of two houses: the Senate (upper house) and the National Assembly (lower house), both of which were fully renewed for five-year terms. Those elected in 2022 formed the 13th Parliament of Kenya.
The National Assembly has 350 members, of which 290 are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting. Of the remaining 60, 47 are reserved for women and are elected from single-member constituencies based on the 47 counties, also using the first-past-the-post system. The remaining 13 seats include 12 nominated by political parties based on their number of seats and a Speaker, elected by the assembly from outside of it as an ex officio member. The nominated members are reserved for youths, persons with disabilities and workers.
The 68 members of the Senate are elected by four methods; 47 are elected in single-member constituencies based on the counties by first-past-the-post voting. Parties are then assigned a share of 16 seats for women, two for youth and two for persons with disabilities based on their seat share. A speaker is also elected as an ex officio member.
Presidential candidates
Only four presidential aspirants and their running mates from parties were cleared. Walter Mong'are's nomination to run for presidency was revoked, after it emerged his degree was not from a recognized university as required by law. The final list of presidential candidates was;