Déjà Vu for Kenya as court battles loom over poll rerun

Bloomberg

Kenya is no closer to resolving months of political turmoil after millions of opposition supporters boycotted a Supreme Court-ordered repeat of its presidential election, raising the likelihood of another legal
challenge to the outcome.
Less than half of registered voters cast ballots, down from the 79 percent turnout for Aug. 8 elections that the court annulled because proper procedures weren’t followed. Both votes were marred by violent clashes between the security forces and supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who pulled out of the rerun after the electoral commission failed to heed his demands to replace staff implicated in rigging. “The probability is very high, 80 to 90 percent, of the result being challenged in court,” Charles Kanjama, managing partner at Muma & Kanjama Advocates, said by phone from Nairobi, the capital.
The election standoff has dimmed the growth outlook in Kenya, one of Africa’s top performers over the past decade, with consumers paring back spending and companies putting projects on hold. Even if President Uhuru Kenyatta, 56, does hold onto office for a second term, he’ll face a challenge in asserting his authority and rebuilding battered investor confidence.
The Kenya Private Sector Alliance, a business lobby group, estimates that the prolonged unrest and uncertainty has already lopped the equivalent of $6.75 billion off the nation’s $71 billion gross domestic product. The Nairobi Securities Exchange All Share Index has dropped 5.5 percent since the election outcome was declared void on Sept. 1, while the yield on the government’s international bonds due in 2024 has climbed 35 basis points to 6.31 percent.