When our founding fathers congregated to form the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union), driven by pan-Africanism, they sought to entrench African unity. They were convinced that democracy, which formed the basis of the African struggle against colonialism, would make lives better for Africans.
The AU is expected to entrench democratic governance in Africa. All 55 members are obligated to hold regular democratic elections. More than a dozen national elections are expected this year.
If last year taught us anything, is that Africa is home to fragile democracies. This makes a strong case for why international observers are quick to label elections as free and fair, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
In Cameroon, for instance, the Anglophone are feeling marginalised and calling for secession to form the Ambazonia Republic. President Paul Biya, who is now on his seventh term, is overly obsessed with military intervention to silence dissidents. The revolt will most definitely come at a great socioeconomic cost.
In Zimbabwe allegations of rigging in the disputed election triggered opposition protests in Harare. Security forces responded in a most brutal manner leaving seven people dead. Meanwhile, blame game over who was responsible for this violence continues.
A commission of inquiry led by former South African President Kgalema Molanthe has been constituted to investigate the causes of violence. President Mnangagwa is largely seen as a force of continuity rather than change and few believe he will implement the commission’s recommendations.
In Uganda, Kampala was the scene of the most sustained demos since Museveni came to power in 1986. Strongman politics is still at play. He has continually relied on the military and patronage networks to stay in power. Musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine endured the brunt of the merciless state mercenaries for leading protests against Museveni.
Last week, oil-rich Gabon thwarted a coup attempt. In Kinshasa, DRC, Tshisekedi Tshilombo was announced winner, despite pre-election polls indicating Martin Fayulu would be the next President. Tshisekedi is said to have struck a deal with outgoing President Joseph Kabila, who has been in power for 18 years. It took the electoral commission a week to announce the results.
Back home, Kenya continues to enjoy relative peace after the March 9 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga. The Building Bridges Initiative task force was formed to collect views on how to go about seeking the elusive unity.
Kenyans know without a doubt that negative ethnicity continues to undermine our constitutional democracy and collective well-being. Elections have two sides. One, they gives us leaders chosen by the people. Ironically, to a great extent they have also undermined the intents of democracy. Nowhere is this manifested clearly than in Africa.
No doubt democracy has become the most appealing form of government in the modern age. Electoral democracy is now deeply rooted in Kenya. While elections capture our collective psyche as a nation the whole process is tainted.
They are winner-take-all affairs. The victors go on to accumulate vast wealth illegally, which they share with their patronage networks and use to bribe voters. Ethnicity is a dominant feature in political debates. Voting patterns are along ethnic lines not ideology.
However, all is not lost. One day we will turn things around. We just need to ensure institutions such as the Judiciary are not lost to cartels. People with integrity should occupy the JSC. The Judiciary should always be our first and last hope when things get murky in politics.
There's hope. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s 2018 Index of African Governance found that governance across the continent on average is slowly improving. Approximately three out of four African citizens live in a country where governance has improved over the last 10 years.
Executive director, Governance Pillar Organization