Kenyan Panel Seeks End of Winner-Takes-All Politics With PM Post

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya should reintroduce the position of the prime minister and name the runner up in presidential contests the leader of the opposition, a panel recommended in a bid to end violent disputes that have marred past ballots.

The proposed establishment of the posts is part of a raft of suggestions by the so-called Building Bridges Initiative, which was established by President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga and aimed at resolving disputes after a contested election in 2017 threatened to stoke widespread conflict.

The prime ministerial role was held by Odinga from 2008 to 2013 as part of a deal that created a unity government and helped end violence that followed a contested 2007 vote and claimed more than 1,100 lives. The position was scrapped in a government structure ushered by a new constitution in 2010.

Kenya should end its a winner-takes-all political system, which was to blame for the political animosity surrounding past elections, according to a copy of the report obtained from the panel’s secretary, Martin Kimani on Wednesday. If adopted, they could have a major bearing on the outcome of elections scheduled for 2022.

Kenya, which has East Africa’s largest economy and is a regional hub for global brands including Alphabet Inc. and Coca-Cola, has struggled to put an end to election-related ethnic violence. The candidate who wins the support of three of the five biggest ethnic groups — Kenyatta’s Kikuyu, Ruto’s Kalenjin, Odinga’s Luo, the Luhya, and the Kamba — is almost guaranteed to win the presidency.

While most politicians welcomed the initiative as at attempt at nation-building, it has caused ructions within the ruling Jubilee Party with supporters of Deputy President William Ruto fearing it will sideline him and lay the groundwork for Odinga to succeed Kenyatta as president.