The President is both the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya.
How To Be A President In Kenya.
Qualifications and election to office
According to the current Constitution, if a person wishes to be elected as President, the following qualifications must be met:
- Should be a Kenyan citizen by birth;
- Should be qualified for election as a Member of Parliament;
- Should have been nominated by a political party to stand as its candidate for the Presidency, or they may stand as an independent candidate; and
- The person should have been nominated by more than two thousand voters from each of a majority of the country’s 47 counties.
A candidate will be disqualified to run for the presidency if they have allegiance to a foreign state or is working for the government in any capacity as a public officer. Being a public officer is not applicable to the incumbent President if running for a second term.
The President is elected by popular vote in the general election held in the month of August every 5 years. For a presidential candidate to be declared the winner, they must have:
- More than half of the total votes cast in the election; and
- At least 25% of the votes cast in each of more than half of the 47 counties in the country.
Term of office
A president is eligible for two consecutive terms of five years each, starting from the date the president is sworn in
Roles and responsibilities
Below is a summary of the roles and responsibilities of the President of Kenya as provided in the Constitution of Kenya:
- Is the country’s Head of State and Government.
- Exercises the country’s executive authority.
- Is the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s military, the Kenya Defence Forces.
- Is the chairperson of the country’s National Security Council.
- Is a symbol of national unity.
Responsibilities
- Is responsible for addressing each newly elected Parliament and report once to special parliamentary seating concerning issues of national value and governance.
- Holds nominating and appointing authority, with Parliament’s approval, over the country’s Cabinet Secretaries, Attorney-General, Principal Secretaries, diplomatic & consular representatives and any other public officer over whom the Constitution grants said authority.
- Is the chairperson of Cabinet meetings and oversees the running of operations in various ministries and government departments.
- The President may also undertake any other executive functions as permitted by the Constitution.
- The President also exercises the power of mercy, whereupon the President may pardon a person convicted of an offence.