Public Confidence, Institutions of Governance and National Stability : A Case of the Supreme Court Ruling on Kenya’s Presidential Election Dispute

This study sought to examine the impact the Supreme Court ruling in Kenya’s presidential petition had on national stability, and whether there were ramifications from this ruling. The study was a case study. The findings of this study show a socio-political struggle between fear and confrontation, ethnicity and nationalism, alienation and inclusion, acceptance and denial. These themes emerge from the citizen’s imaging of the implication of the ruling to their lives as a marginalized or politically vulnerable section of the Kenyan society. The themes do not reflect the ruling nor the government’s policy, but the reaction of those at the periphery of the socio-political sphere who attempt to make sense of the ruling through the lens of their historical experiences. This means that judicial rulings have an impact on national stability. Therefore, there is need for a comprehensive ethnic cohesion policy, which will include the de-ethnicizing of Kenyan politics and promotion of ethnic integration in order to enhance national stability.