Kenya’s do-over

Kenya’s Supreme Court last week annulled its Aug. 8 elections and ordered new ones to be held within 60 days.

The decision of six judges of the court, announced by its chief justice, David Maraga, was a surprise, not only t o Kenyans, but also to the some 400 monitors of the elections, including former Secretary of State John F. Kerry. Observers had deemed the elections acceptably honest, although the major losing candidate, longtime politician Raila Odinga, initiated the court action that brought the decision to re-run the elections.

The judges cited irregularities in the elections, which in their view rendered them unconstitutional.

It thus appears that the relief of the Kenyans, who now number 47 million, and of the rest of the world that Kenya had carried out relatively peaceful democratic elections was premature. An estimated 1,000 had died in rioting during and after the 2000 Kenyan elections.

Kenyans and Africans in general, in light of what are frequently crooked or questionably democratic elections in African countries, should be proud that whatever issues prompted the Supreme Court to rule as it did, the judicial process, with reference to Kenya’s constitution, not only occurred but has been welcomed by Kenyatta.

Kenyans, Americans and the world should now cross their fingers that Kenya gets through the new elections peacefully and correctly, on schedule.