General elections were held in Kenya on 4 March 2013. Number of Candidates and Political Parties 2013 General Election. Voters elected the President, members of the National Assembly and newly formed Senate. They were the first elections held under the new constitution, which was approved in a 2010 referendum, and were also the first run by the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). They coincided with the 2013 Kenyan local elections.
The presidential election saw Uhuru Kenyatta of the National Alliance (TNA) defeat Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was ineligible to pursue a third term due to the two-term limit established in Clause 142 of the Constitution of Kenya. This was the first Kenyan presidential election to include a joint-ticket system for deputy president, which was introduced in the 2010 Constitution. Kenyatta was joined on his ticket by William Ruto, while Odinga’s running mate was Kalonzo Musyoka. Kenyatta was backed by the Jubilee Alliance, while Odinga was supported by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD). Kenyatta was declared the winner with 50.5% of the vote, meaning a second round of voting was not needed. Odinga unsuccessfully contested the results in the Supreme Court.
Candidates
There were 12,776 candidates for the 1,882 elective positions in the March 2013 general election.
- 9,886 candidates for the 1,450 MCA positions
- 2,098 candidates for the 290 member of national assembly (aka MP) positions
- 303 candidates for the 47 women member of national assembly (aka MP) positions
- 244 candidates for the 47 senator positions
- 237 candidates for the 47 governor positions
- 8 candidates for the presidential election
Political Parties
59 political parties nominated 12,617 candidates. The other 159 candidates were independent (not members of a political party). The 1,882 elected officers represent the 46 political parties (listed below) and 5 elected officers were independent.
- Agano Party (AP)
- Alliance Party of Kenya (APK)
- Chama Cha Mwananchi (CCM)
- Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU)
- Democratic Party of Kenya (DP)
- Farmers Party (FP)
- Federal Party of Kenya (FPK)
- Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – People (FORD-People)
- Forum for Restoration of Democracy – Kenya (FORD-Kenya)
- Grand National Union (GNU)
- Kenya African Democratic Union – Asili (KADU-Asili)
- Kenya African National Union (KANU)
- Kenya National Congress (KNC)
- Kenya Social Congress (KSC)
- Maendeleo Democratic Party (MDP)
- Mazingira Greens Party of Kenya (MGPK)
- Muungano Party (MP)
- Mwangaza Party (MP)
- Mzalendo Saba Saba Party (MSS)
- NARC Kenya
- National Agenda Party of Kenya (NAPK)
- National Party of Kenya (NPK)
- National Rainbow Coalition (NARC)
- New Democrats (ND)
- New Ford Kenya (NFK)
- Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
- Party of Democratic Unity (PDU)
- Party of Independent Candidates of Kenya (PICK)
- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Peoples Party of Kenya (PPK)
- Progressive Party of Kenya (PPK)
- Republican Congress Party of Kenya (RC)
- Restore And Build Kenya (RBK)
- Saba Saba Asili (77)
- Safina
- Shirikisho Party of Kenya (SPK)
- Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP)
- The Independent Party (TIP)
- The Labour Party of Kenya (LPK)
- The National Alliance (TNA)
- The National Vision Party (NVP)
- United Democratic Forum Party (UDFP)
- United Democratic Movement (UDM)
- United Republican Party (URP)
- Unity Party of Kenya (UPK)
- Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya (WDM-K)
The 13 political parties whose candidates did not win their respective elections in the March 2013 general election are listed below.
- Alliance for Real Change (ARK)
- Conservative Party (CP)
- Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Asili (FORD-Asili)
- Kenya National Democratic Alliance (KENDA)
- Mkenya Solidarity Movement (MSM)
- National Democratic Movement (NDM)
- National Labour Party (NLP)
- Party of Action (POA)
- Party of National Unity (PNU)
- Peoples Patriotic Party of Kenya (PPPK)
- Republican Liberty Party (RLP)
- Roots Party of Kenya (RPK)
- Sisi kwa Sisi Party (SSP)
Please note that after the general election, Andrew Maritim of the Peoples Patriotic Party of Kenya (PPPK) won the Nyangores ward by-election.
The Conservative Party (CP) changed its name to Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) in 2015. Between May 2015 and June 2016, 4 candidates representing JAP won by-elections in Kericho county, Oloolua, Ngobit, and Lelmoko / Ngechek wards.
JAP changed its name to Jubilee Party (JP) in 2016 and its candidate won the Sala ward by-election in October 2016.
[Update]
Mar 21, 2017 – updated the change of name of CP to JAP to JP as is explained in the website of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
