BWIRE: Poverty is the silent enemy fuelling Kenya’s political chaos

Poverty has always been Kenya’s invisible but lethal enemy, that one factor that can never be spoken about in political debates. Quietly, poverty widens the levels of inequality, misery and instability in Kenya, yet our political class will seldom discuss poverty.

The recent by-elections, which turned into violence and unrest, just exposed how deeply poverty remains at the root of our political crisis and further in the African continent, especially amongst the youth, who in turn rarely even vote.

Last week’s by-elections across constituencies such as the United Democratic Alliance strongholds, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, declared winners of which the winners remain a contentious topic.

These by-elections were marred by campaign clashes, destruction of property and bloodshed, transforming what should have been peaceful democratic contests into high-stakes do-or-die fights.

Beyond the surface of political rivalry, the chaos around by elections reflects more latent issues, we just have massive frustrations and fuelled by generational poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity.

So, for many Kenyans, particularly those from marginalised communities and in low-income places, elections become moments of desperation. Elections for them are usually their chance to be heard, to grab any promise of relief from suffering. When politicians exploit these vulnerabilities, turning campaigns into a scramble for patronage, the ground becomes fertile for violence and manipulation.

A detailed study of electoral violence in Kenya highlights poverty as a core trigger for election violence. So what leads to the trigger?  Economic frustration, entrenched inequality, unemployment and deprived livelihoods thus resentment, anger and a readiness to resort to violence when provoked.

Think about the many stories we have seen in the media of well-to-do Kenyans killed in their palatial homes, those they build in the villages. This type of murder is always triggered by resentment, anger among relatives or simply those without means from the village who turn into crime.

Basically, just like the example of relatives who turn on each other, when people have little to lose, political elites and aspiring leaders find in them easy recruits, ready to fight each other, intimidate, or be intimidated for sadly a few coins or promises.

Kenya’s high poverty rate (39.8 per cent) and medium inequality (Gini coefficient 0.39) translates into unequal access to everything basic to luxury. Food insecurity has risen, low income earners face higher inflation among other factors What’s even more tragic in our country and continent is that poverty undermines the very idea of free and fair elections.

As argued in scholarly work, poverty, combined with unequal distribution of resources and institutional neglect, suppresses the real political voice of communities. It distorts participation, undermines civic education, and limits genuine representation.

As we analyse these by-elections, one message should be clear, unless we Kenyans, without so much reliance on our political class, tackle poverty head-on, through equitable development, youth empowerment, job creation and redistribution of resources, political competition will continue to serve only the rich and powerful.

Elections will remain serious battlegrounds, not of ideas, but of desperation and survival. These by-elections might just be a warm-up to what might happen in the 2027 general election.

Poverty is one of the biggest enemies of democracy. For Kenya to truly move forward, we must recognise poverty in all its forms possible and confront it.