Kenyan elections 2017: What you need to know

Kenya prepares for presidential election 02:43

(CNN)Kenya heads to the polls on August 8 with incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta battling to secure a second five-year term.

But while many expect Kenyatta to prevail once again, his opponent and longtime rival opposition leader Raila Odinga remains hopeful. 

 

Earlier in the campaign, the 55-year-old Kenyatta, who leads the Jubilee Alliance, had been expected to win easily -- but that no longer looks certain.

Defeat would prove doubly embarrassing for Kenyatta, who would become the first Kenyan President not to have won reelection.

What's the state of play?

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta attends an evangelical pre-election prayer rally for peace in Nairobi.

With a week to go, all eyes are on the key candidates vying for the presidency -- two men whose fathers led Kenya to independence nearly 55 years ago. While there are eight candidates in the election, only Kenyatta and Odinga retain any real hope of winning. 

 

There is little love lost between the two men. Five years ago, Kenyatta defeated Odinga by a narrow margin, a result Odinga contested at the Supreme Court after allegations of electoral fraud -- without success.

Fast-forward to the present and Odinga, who is chasing the presidency for the fourth time, has accused Kenyatta of attempting to rig the upcoming election. 

 

Kenyatta, son of the country's first president, Jomo Kenyatta, has in turn accused Odinga, son of the Kenya's first vice president, of attempting to divide the country.

To win the election outright, either man must gain 50% of the votes, plus one -- as well as at least 25% of the votes in half of Kenya's 47 counties.

If no winner is declared, the election will go to a runoff, which would be a first in Kenya's history.

What are the big talking points?

Kenya's National Super Alliance (NASA) opposition leader and presidential candidate Raila Odinga poses during a presidential debate in Nairobi.

 

The election is largely being fought over the economy and the courting of the youth vote.

Kenyatta is promising to create 1.3 million new jobs, reduce the cost of living and create a more inclusive economy by reducing economic inequalities.

Odinga, 72, is promising to fight corruption, create jobs for young people and set up programs to improve food security.

Both men will need to do something to address Kenya's troubling youth unemployment rate, which stands at 22.2%. 

 

 

Approximately 80% of Kenya's population is younger than 35, according to one report, while up to 51% of its 19.6 million registered voters are aged between 18 and 35.

Another factor likely to have an impact on people's voting choices is the country's severe drought, which has led to skyrocketing food prices and higher rates of inflation.

According to the United Nations Development Agency, 45.5% of Kenya's population lives in poverty.

Fears of violence?

A resident of Kibera runs with a sack of charcoal he stole past a burning shack as he and thousands of other looters swept through the slum ransacking stores and setting cars and other property on fire 31 December 2007. 

 

Kenya's last election, in 2013, passed off peacefully, but 10 years ago the country was plunged into widespread violence in the aftermath of the 2007 vote.

More than 1,000 people were killed and 500,000 were displaced in months of bloodshed following the election, after Odinga -- who had been defeated by the then-President Mwai Kibaki -- claimed the vote had been rigged.

 

Opposing protesters loyal to each leader took to the streets, and protests escalated into bloody violence, fueled by decades of economic frustration and ethnic rivalry. The violence was not limited to supporters of the two political rivals -- other ethnic groups joined in and picked sides, adding to the chaos.

Supporters battled it out using machetes and other crude weapons in the worst violence the nation had seen since it gained independence from Britain in 1963. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, with some still living as refugees in their own country years later.

 

After more than a month of negotiations, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan mediated a power-sharing agreement in February 2008 that was signed by both leaders. It created a prime minister's office for Odinga as part of a power-sharing government.

 

In 2013, a breakdown in voter identification technology was the primary reason that Odinga contested the results of the vote, taking the case to Kenya's highest court, which ultimately ruled in Kenyatta's favor.

While there is a general expectation that the upcoming elections will be peaceful, tensions increased after a senior Kenyan election official was found dead just days before the country was due to go to the polls.

Before his death, Chris Msando, head of information at Kenya's Integrated Electoral Management System, led the department responsible for voter identification and result-transmission technology for the election.

- The rising cases of child sexual abuse is becoming worrisome - An international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) is keen on addressing the issue - Efforts are being made to educate Nigerians on the menace An NGO, Jose Foundation, has made a move to address the rising cases of child exploitation in Nigeria. NAIJ.com gathered that the foundation has partnered with experts based in the United Kingdom to launch a book on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). It also aims for members of the public to understand the consequences of CSE especially with reference with experiences from Rotherham in the UK. The book is titled Child Sexual Exploitation After Rotherham, Understanding the Consequences and Recommendations for Practice, and it was launched recently at the Kingston University, London. The book was written to address the issues of CSE which is said to be gaining ground in several countries around the world. READ ALSO: Priest quits Catholic church, says he's happy to be free Efforts to address child exploitation in Nigeria gains ground L-R Dr Rick Hood, Prince Martins Abhulimhen, Dr Angie Heal and Mr Wilson Muleya, at the launch of a book in London. Photo credit: Jose Foundation The book will be officially launched at a workshop on CSE set to hold in Abuja soon, with the organisers partnering with the federal ministry of women affairs and social development. NAIJ.com checks reveals that details in the book, gives an insight to the experiences of CSE. Survivours share their experiences, which aids the professionals to understand their worries and the horrific process they have been subjected to. The book which is 310-pages was written by Angie Heal and Adele Gladman. The authors are of the view that it is better to know about CSE directly from the victims' account of events that affected them. They plan to continue to raise awareness, while hoping that it will help change the way children have been failed by the society at large. A statement sent to NAIJ.com by the Jose Foundation president, Prince Martins Abhulimhen, stated that the book will strengthen the awareness against child sexual exploitation in Nigeria. According to him, a presentation will be done in Abuja on peculiar cases of CSE in Nigeria and will be published in different local languages to help spread the word. Abhulimhen lamented that child sexual abuse is on the rise Nigeria, even as he said efforts at addressing the menace are not well handled. His words: “We cannot stay and pretend that child sexual exploitation is not ravaging our society. Daily reports in the country shows that everyday a child is sexually abused by one adult or the other.” Watch the video report on how Nigerian youths organised a protest made at the National Assembly. Read more: https://www.naij.com/1118448-photos-prince-sadiku-bayero-bride-princess-saadatu.html

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