Five Years On: Remembering August 8, 2017 by the Numbers

August 8, 2017 was one of the most dramatic days in Kenyan democracy. It produced a general election that would be nullified by the Supreme Court, repeated on October 26, boycotted by the opposition, and ultimately resolved through a political handshake rather than a ballot box. No other election in Kenyan history has generated as much data, controversy, or legal precedent.

Here is the complete statistical portrait of that day and its aftermath, drawn from IEBC data across all six elective positions.

The Presidential Race: Kenyatta vs Odinga, Round Three

Eight candidates appeared on the presidential ballot, but the race was between two: Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party and Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement.

• Registered voters: 19,611,423
• Total valid votes cast: 15,114,622
• Uhuru Kenyatta: 8,203,290 (54.27%)
• Raila Odinga: 6,762,224 (44.74%)
• Other 6 candidates combined: 149,108 (0.99%)
• Rejected ballots: 81,685

Kenyatta won 35 of 47 counties with more than 25% of the vote. Odinga crossed that threshold in 29 counties. The six minor candidates collectively secured less than 1% of the vote and achieved 25% in zero counties.

On September 1, the Supreme Court annulled the result in a 4-2 decision, citing irregularities in results transmission. The landmark ruling made Kenya the first country in Africa to have a presidential election overturned by its own judiciary.

The Fresh Election: October 26

Raila Odinga boycotted the repeat election. The result was a foregone conclusion:

• Uhuru Kenyatta: 7,483,895 (98.26%)
• Raila Odinga: 73,228 (0.96%) — despite withdrawing, his name remained on the ballot
• Turnout: roughly 38.8%, down from approximately 79% in August

The turnout collapse was concentrated in NASA strongholds. Counties like Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Migori saw single-digit turnout, while Jubilee strongholds in Central Kenya maintained turnout above 80%.

The Six-Seat Scorecard

The 2017 general election was not just a presidential race. Kenyans simultaneously elected Governors, Senators, Women Representatives, MPs, and MCAs. Here is the party breakdown across all positions:

Governors (47 seats)

Jubilee won 25 Governor seats. ODM won 13. FORD-Kenya and Independents each won 2. Wiper won 2. KANU, Maendeleo Chap Chap, and NARC each won 1.

Senators (47 seats)

Jubilee won 24 Senate seats. ODM won 13. KANU won 2. ANC and Wiper each won 2. Smaller parties and independents shared the remaining 4 seats.

Women Representatives (47 seats)

Jubilee won 25. ODM won 11. Only 10 parties total won any Women Rep seat. Read the full breakdown.

Members of National Assembly (290 seats)

Jubilee won 140 seats (48.3%). ODM won 62 (21.4%). Wiper won 19. Independents won 13. ANC won 12. FORD-Kenya won 10. A total of 21 parties won at least one MP seat.

Members of County Assembly (1,448 seats)

Jubilee won 582 seats (40.2%). ODM won 339 (23.4%). Independents won 109. Wiper won 84. A staggering 41 parties won at least one MCA seat. Read the full analysis.

Technology on the Front Line

The IEBC deployed 10,667 KIEMS kits for biometric voter verification. The verification summary tells the technology story:

• 7,631,705 voters presented for verification
• 6,762,385 were biometrically verified (88.6%)
• 131,476 were verified through text search
• 1,025,844 were verified via Presiding Officer override in August (7.0%)

In the October repeat, the Presiding Officer override rate dropped to 2.8%, suggesting that the IEBC tightened protocols when given a second chance. Read the full biometrics analysis.

The Petition Aftermath

Beyond the presidential petition, 446 election petitions were filed challenging results at every level. Of these:

• 35 were successful (7.8%)
• 139 challenged MCA results (12 succeeded)
• 98 challenged MP results (7 succeeded)
• 35 challenged Governor results (3 succeeded)
• 15 challenged Senator results (0 succeeded)

The number of petitions had grown 12 times since 2007, but the success rate dropped from 47.2% to 7.8%. Read the full petition analysis.

Voter Registration and Demographics

The 2017 voter register contained 19,611,423 names, up from 14,352,545 in 2013, a 36.6% increase. The gender breakdown showed persistent inequality:

• Male voters: 10,469,148 (53.4%)
• Female voters: 9,142,275 (46.6%)

This gender gap was wider than 2013, when women made up 49% of registered voters compared to 46.6% in 2017. The drop likely reflected registration drive dynamics rather than a decline in women's civic participation.

The Legacy of August 8

August 8, 2017 reshaped Kenyan politics in ways that still echo. The Supreme Court's annulment established that presidential elections can be overturned. The October boycott showed the limits of repeat elections when one side refuses to participate. The subsequent "handshake" between Kenyatta and Odinga in March 2018 redrew the political map ahead of 2022.

The data from that day, the 15 million votes cast, the 10,667 KIEMS kits deployed, the 446 petitions filed, and the single Supreme Court ruling that changed everything, remains the most comprehensive dataset in Kenyan electoral history. Understanding those numbers is essential for anyone seeking to understand where Kenyan democracy has been and where it is going.

For deep dives into specific aspects of the 2017 election, explore our other analyses: ANC, FORD-Kenya, and Wiper in Numbers and The 41-Party Parliament.