Elections are a cycle and as the country prepares for the beginning of the new cycle, many stakeholders’ are getting ready for the 2022 General Elections amid an anticipated referendum.
There is a lot of work ahead for the state and non-state electoral actors, including ELOG, as we continuously monitor and observe these electoral processes. As anticipated, our 9th issue is out and in this edition, we outline issues that stakeholders need to grapple within the journey of electoral preparedness. It takes a single decision to alter the entire course of history. We hope that the Darubini ya Uchaguzi e-newsletter would continue to play a significant role in this process.
As we dive into yet another exciting edition, we invite you, our reader, to engage with the writers as they interrogate new emerging issues within the electoral environment. There is a felt need to re-engineer several issues, including how the media reports on electoral processes. In this respect, Mr. Jerry Rawlings examines the role of political journalism and its place in the realm of elections and electoral processes. On the other hand, Dr. Elizabeth Gitau assesses the delicate balance between democracy and health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. She offers some ground-breaking recommendations on how to proceed in the current political and electoral environment. Lastly, do not forget to check out the electoral news roundup section for an illuminating peek at the current electoral environment. The section highlights among other issues, the electoral preparedness of the Electoral Management Body, which is at the heart of all election cycles.