COTTRELL GHAI: Do we need to hold president accountable in midterms?
The author discusses the limitations of Kenya's constitutional framework regarding presidential accountability compared to the US midterm election system. It argues that Kenyan politics remains driven by personality and ethnicity rather than party discipline, undermining the intended constitutional checks and balances.
Why it matters
Understanding the gap between constitutional design and political reality is essential for evaluating democratic governance and institutional stability in emerging nations.
A participant in a voting booth during a mock election at Bomas of Kenya /FILE Rules – in a constitution or elsewhere – may look clear, and create expectations of their working in a certain way, perhaps like somewhere with similar rules. But the realities of a particular society may mean that the rules operate in a very different way – or don’t operate, perhaps.
I was reminded of this by an article in last Friday’s Star, by Gordon Osen, called “How midterm elections can hold presidents to account”.
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