Modernizing the Kenyan Electoral System through Polkadot Blockchain Network

Abstract

The 2007/8 post-election violence in Kenya brought the nascent Kenyan democracy to the brink of collapse. It anachronistically demonstrated that old ways of managing elections were being antiquated by new realities, such as a growing population, the need for technological support, and the immediacy of a supportive electoral legal regime. A decade and a half after the posthumous murder of Kenyans during the 2007 disputed election, Kenya is leapfrogging and sauntering to establish a vibrant democracy, albeit with specific challenges. Firstly, the presidential elections have been disputed thrice after the promulgation of the constitution in 2010. And secondly, the allegation of voter fraud against the electoral body is imminent. Further, public trust in the electoral body is low and has been so since the advent of pluralism politics in 1991. Besides, the electoral body gets overwhelmed by the number of elections they manage during the general elections, and technological failures have been a significant impediment. Ostensibly, these challenges compound an existing problem of mistrust among political players and gather moss, especially during the period between the end of the voting exercise and the announcement of presidential results by the electoral body. Erstwhile, such a fragile situation manifested and threatened public safety after the 2013, 2017, and 2022 general elections. However, despite scepticism, the finality of the supreme court process as an arbitrator of the disputed presidential elections has played a role in quelling violence and settling such matters. In this article, the author argues that the maturation of digital democracies and the incorporation of blockchain technologies can modernize grassroots elections and resolve allegations of voter fraud.