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KENYA
Senate (Senate)
LAST ELECTIONS

Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module

A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page

Parliament name Parliament of Kenya
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name Senate
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) National Assembly
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 8 August 2017
Purpose of elections President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party and its allies (see note 1) secured the majority in both the 350-member National Assembly and the 68-member Senate. The National Super Alliance (Nasa, see note 2), led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, came second. During the election campaign, the Jubilee Party ran on the government record, citing major infrastructure projects and economic growth. Mr. Odinga criticized corruption in state institutions. Both leaders were candidates in the presidential elections, held in parallel with the parliamentary polls.

On 11 August, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Mr. Kenyatta's re-election as President, which sparked two days of protests. Mr. Odinga rejected the election results, and on 1 September, the Supreme Court invalidated the presidential election following a petition by Mr. Odinga. Fresh elections, initially scheduled for 17 October, were postponed to 26 October. On 10 October, Mr. Odinga withdrew from the race, citing the lack of reform to the election process. On 26 October, President Kenyatta won the repeat presidential elections.

Note 1:
The Jubilee Party was formed by 11 parties in September 2016. They included the National Alliance and the United Republican Party (which had formed the Jubilee Coalition for the 2013 elections) as well as other parties which supported Mr. Kenyatta’s candidacy in 2017: the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the Economic Freedom Party (EFP), Maendeleo Chap Chap Party (MCCP), the Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Democratic Party (DP). Together they took over 190 seats in the National Assembly and at least 37 seats in the Senate.

Note 2:
The Nasa was formed in January 2017 by five opposition parties: Mr. Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the Amani National Congress (ANC), Chama cha Mashinani, Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya (WDM-K) and the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya (FORD-KENYA). The Nasa took at least 127 seats in the National Assembly and 24 seats in the Senate.
Date of previous elections: 4 March 2013

Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 7 August 2017

Timing of election: Upon normal expiry

Expected date of next elections: 9 August 2022
*A general election for members of parliament shall be held on the second Tuesday in August in every fifth year.

Number of seats at stake: 68 (full renewal)

Number of candidates: 256

Percentage of women candidates: Not available.

Number of parties contesting the election: Not available.

Number of parties winning seats: 8

Alternation of power: No

Number of parties in government: N/A

Names of parties in government: The President nominates to the Cabinet qualified Kenyans who are not parliamentarians. Political party affiliation is not one of the qualifications for such a nomination.

Date of the first session of the new parliament: 31 August 2017

Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Kenneth Makelo Lusaka (Jubilee Party)
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 18 August 2017
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
19'611'423


Notes
Distribution of votes
Round no 1
Political Group Candidates Votes %
Jubilee Party (JP)
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya (WDM-K)
Amani National Congress (ANC)
Kenya African National Union (KANU)
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD-KENYA)
Independents
Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU)
Party for Development and Reform (PDR)
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total County seats Women seats Rep. Youth Rep. Disabilities
Jubilee Party (JP) 34 24 8 1 1
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) 20 13 5 1 1
Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya (WDM-K) 3 2 1 0 0
Amani National Congress (ANC) 3 2 1 0 0
Kenya African National Union (KANU) 3 2 1 0 0
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD-KENYA) 1 1 0 0 0
Independents 1 1 0 0 0
Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU) 1 1 0 0 0
Party for Development and Reform (PDR) 1 1 0 0 0
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men
Women
Percent of women
47
21
30.88%
Distribution of seats according to age
Distribution of seats according to profession
Comments
The Distribution of seats according to sex above include the Speaker (ex officio member).

Sources:
Senate (11.09.2017, 03.07.2018)
THE KENYA GAZETTE:
- Vol. CXIX-No. 118 NAIROBI, 18th August, 2017
- Vol. CXIX-No. 121 NAIROBI, 22nd August, 2017
https://www.iebc.or.ke/uploads/resources/5u4mB7KjYD.pdf
https://www.iebc.or.ke/
http://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/2017_ifes_kenya_general_elections_faqs_update_7.31.17.pdf
The Associated Press
http://www.nation.co.ke
https://africacheck.org/factsheets/factsheet-kenyas-new-parliament-numbers/
http://www.aljazeera.com

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