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Kenya
Summary of major revisions made to emergency plan of action:
This operation update informs stakeholders on actions undertaken since starting the anticipatory actions on 1st May 2022 through the General Elections held on 9th August 2022, the proclamation of results which took place on 15th August 2022, and subsequent Supreme Court final decision on elections results made on 5th September.
Indeed, after the election results were announced on 15th August, there were cases of localized disturbances in several parts of the country including Mombasa, Kisumu, Wajir, Migori, Garissa, Busia, Kisii, Homa Bay, Siaya, West Pokot, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Kericho, Kiambu, and Bungoma. At the same time, 8 elective areas including the gubernatorial elections for Kakamega and Mombasa counties were postponed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to 29th August (22 August Nation Media Reports). Furthermore, the presidential results announced on 15th August 2022 were challenged and several petitions were filed at the Supreme Court (Nation) with a decision made by the court on 5th September.
The localized disturbances resulted in emergency needs which prompted the Kenyan Red Cross Society (KRCS) to respond with First Aid services, mental health, and psychosocial support and increased monitoring of the various political activities reaching 769 people in 12 counties. This Operation Update informs on response actions following the triggering of the majority of indicators in scenario 2 of the EPoA, leading to an increase in KRCS preparedness and response and therefore incurring additional costs. Key revisions in this operation include below:
• KRCS maintaining its volunteers, staff, and logistics on the ground beyond the planned 2 days in EPoA to ensure comprehensive monitoring and coverage of the various events until 30th September.
• Cater costs resulting from extending and adapting the surveillance and assistance to 6 hotspot counties (Garissa, Wajir, Homabay, West Pokot, Kakamega, and Kitui), in addition to 6 initial target counties (Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu and Kiambu).
• KRCS has extended preparedness activities including PFA refresher training sessions ambulance prepositioning, maintaining teams on standby, and conducting transect drives in high-risk areas in Kakamega, Kitui, West Pokot, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Meru while awaiting the completion of vote extended and waiting also the Supreme Court ruling on the 5th September and surveillance for additional days after it was completed. In this regard, the below adjustments have been conducted:
Red Cross Action Teams (RCAT): Deployment of first aid volunteers for additional 6 days in 6 targeted counties and 6 additional counties. To cover the pending elections in Kakamega and Mombasa, the time until the court decision. Same 270 volunteers and 30 supervisors deployed for 6 extended days and adapted to the operational imperative: 30 volunteers and 3 supervisors deployed per high-risk counties and 15 volunteers for the other hotspots.
Ambulances and vehicles prepositioned and deployed (2 days prior and 4 days after) as the need arises in the two areas (Kakamega and Mombasa counties) where gubernatorial elections will be held. In total, over the 12 hotspots, 6 ambulances, and 13 vehicles were deployed plus 1 in Nairobi.
Conduct monitoring and passive surveillance until the end of the operation in high-risk areas in Kakamega, Kitui, West Pokot (hotspot identified during the response), Mombasa, Nakuru, and Meru (initially targeted areas). This includes maintaining teams on standby to continue undertaking regular transect drives at hotspot areas for direct observations covering investiture and post-investiture until the end of September to respond to any emergency needs.
• Ensure proper closing of the operation by 30th September 2022 with an operational learning session.
A budget increase of CHF 75,428 from the initial allocation of CHF 189,070 is also requested to cover the additional costs incurred from activities listed above within the same timeframe initially allocated (4 months).
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the disaster
Kenya held its General Elections on 9 August 2022 as planned. With 14,164,561 registered voters, a low voter turnout was reported with 64.6% Kenyans voting, a dip from the 80% turnout in 2017. Vote counting and verification by the Independent Elections and Commission (IEBC) Board was a protracted process resulting in speculations, misinformation, and disinformation spreading through social media and other platforms. This fuelled public anxiety as the country awaited the announcement of the results of the president with a close call between the two main contending candidates of the opposing coalitional parties. The IEBC announced one of the coalition leaders as the president-elect on 15 August 2022, while four IEBC commissioners disputed the presidential election outcomes citing the opaqueness of the process. On 17 August 2022, one of the other presidential candidates issued an announcement rejecting the declared presidential results by the IEBC.
The voting day, while generally peaceful in most parts of the country, was also marred by events in some counties such as injuries due to fighting at polling stations, malfunction of the Kenya Integrated Elections Management system (KIEMS) Kits, as reported by nation media and IEBC briefings, resorting to using of manual registers and insecurity concerns in areas such as Eldas, Wajir county where voting was postponed to 10th August (Citizen digital Reports). In addition, violence outbreaks were reported in various counties including Wajir, Kisii, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Baringo, Bungoma, Nakuru, Nairobi, Kiambu, Garissa, Kericho, Migori, Homa bay, Machakos, Siaya, West Pokot, Kakamega, Kitui, Bomet, Nyamira, Kajiado, and Busia (Star Newspaper, Nation Media), leading to 16 fatalities and 143 persons injured and receiving first aid services as recorded by the KRCS daily situation reports since the election day. Nation Media), leading to 16 fatalities and 143 persons injured and receiving first aid services as recorded by the KRCS daily situation reports since the election day.
KRCS has been updating its elections situation analysis based on its Contingency Plan and the unfolding situation. Based on the triggering of several indicators, the unfolding scenario in the country is aligned with scenario 2 of the EPoA with localized post-electoral contestations, a contested process, contested IEBC services, isolated incidents of violence, long-awaited declaration of the results and postponement of elections in 8 localities with some found in the targeted hotspot counties identified.
Some of the critical events to note include the voting day, 9th August, which was generally calm across the country, 10th August when different provisional results circulated across media platforms, and which were later directed to stop reporting by the IEBC. Localized violence and disturbances were reported particularly between the 11th and 15th of August in some areas including the hotspot counties of Nakuru, Kisumu, Garissa, Narok, Bomet, Mombasa, and Wajir counties. The declaration of the presidential results on 15th August resulted in a contested IEBC service, process, and rejection of the election results by the losing coalition and 4 of the IEBC commissioners. As a result, a petition challenging the presidential results was filed at the Supreme Court with a verdict rendered on 5th September 2022. Reactions to this decision and the swearing-in ceremony will be observed until 30th September.
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