Go to AfricaBib home

Go to AfricaBib home Africana Periodical Literature Go to database home

bibliographic database
Line
Previous page New search

The free AfricaBib App for Android is available here

Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The local 'mwananchi' has lost trust: design, transition and legitimacy in Kenyan election management
Authors:Erlich, Aaron
Kerr, Nicholas
Year:2016
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:54
Issue:4
Pages:671-702
Language:English
Geographic term:Kenya
Subjects:election management bodies
public opinion
attitudes
External link:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X16000604
Abstract:Across African democracies, maintaining popular trust in electoral management bodies (EMBs) is vital to enhancing election integrity and, ultimately, regime legitimacy. However, scholars have largely sidestepped any systematic analysis of how citizens formulate their attitudes towards EMBs and how these attitudes vary over time. To address these gaps in the literature, the authors focus on Kenyan EMBs, which have experienced fluctuating popular support since the 2007 elections and subsequent institutional reforms. Using primary election reports and original survey and focus group data, they analyse the sources of Kenyans' trust in EMBs from 1992 onward and probe the 2013 election period deeply. Across time, they find that confidence in EMBs usually collapses after polarised elections, due to perceived problems with the EMB's autonomy and capacity. Following the 2013 elections, Kenyans were also more likely to lose confidence in the EMB if they were affiliated with losing presidential candidates or if they were critical of EMB performance. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
Views
Cover