Kenya: Beyond Ethnic Arithmetic: Why Kenya Must Vote On Ideas, Not Identity

Socrates, who lived and died in the birthplace of democracy–Athens–was deeply sceptical of it. He argued that democracy is, at best, a gamble that elevates popular figures, and at worst, produces leaders who ultimately undermine the very society they serve. Centuries later, his concerns still echo–perhaps nowhere more clearly than in Kenya’s evolving political landscape.

Kenya’s democracy appears to be drifting into a dangerous space where elections are increasingly framed not as contests of…