Stakeholder participation in electoral process in Kenya

Abstract

The general objective of the study was to establish the role of stakeholder participation in electoral process in Kenya. In order to achieve the general objective this study was guided by the following specific objectives: To establish the role of media participation in Electoral Process in Kenya, to examine the role of Citizen Participation in Electoral Process in Kenya, to determine the role of election observers participation in Electoral Process in Kenya, to assess the role of the civil society organizations participation in Electoral Process in Kenya and to evaluate the moderating role of constitutional framework in Electoral Process in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey design that targeted respondents from various selected institutions participating in electoral process. Questionnaires were used as research instruments to collect data. The study tested the null Hypothesis that media participation, Citizen Participation, election observer participation; civil society organization participation and moderating variable constitutional framework have no significant role in Electoral Process in Kenya. The study tested the null hypothesis that there is no moderating effect of constitutional framework in Electoral Process in Kenya. Target population was 519 officials drawn from different election stakeholder institutions in Kenya and the sample size was 199. The study used stratified sampling technique to select its subjects. A pilot test was conducted to ensure validity and reliability of the data collection instrument. A sample of 199 respondents was fused to collect data. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The study also used bivariate regression analysis and moderated multiple regression to analyze the relationship between media participation, Citizen Participation, election observer participation, civil society participation and constitutional framework in Electoral Process in Kenya. Quantitative data was also analyzed statistically yielding frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations while inferential statistics tools such as correlation and regression were used to determine and explain variable relations by use of SPSS version 21 program. Analysis of variance was also used to test for significant differences and data were presented in form of tables, figures and charts. The study conducted various tests including multi collinearity, autocorrelation tests, normality tests and heteroscedasticity tests. The entire null hypotheses were rejected. The study concludes that media participation, Citizen Participation, election observer’s participation, civil society organization participation and constitutional framework have a positive and significant relationship in Electoral Process. The study recommends that policy makers should consider the many factors involved in a complex and dynamic situation before making decision in Electoral Processes that will influence the effectiveness, efficiency and ultimately the political stability of Kenya. Further the study recommends future studies introducing moderating variable in their models.