Police preparedness at the polls: Kenya’s 2022 general election

How can electoral security be upheld in countries where violence during elections is a viable option for the political contenders and the baseline risk of violence is high? The police hold direct responsibility for electoral security, but only limited scholarly work investigates their role and the mechanisms through which violence is prevented. We address this gap by analysing Kenya’s 2022 election, drawing on interviews with key stakeholders and focus groups to capture perceived changes in police conduct and their impact on election security. First, we investigate macro-level factors, including political dynamics affecting violence risk, and national preventive efforts. Second, we analyse the micro-dynamics of police efforts to manage election violence in three locations previously affected by it. While political dynamics partly explain limited violence in the 2022 election, we find that concerted police efforts with other stakeholders diffused tensions that could have escalated. Our analysis highlights the importance of coordination and communication, and identifies modes of engagement for the police in local-level election violence prevention, including community dialogue, visible police presence and the use of de-escalation techniques.