Paper short abstract:

This research aims to show the opinion and discussions generated in new media and social media platforms regarding the forthcoming Presidential Election in Kenya and the issues raised surrounding it. The data is being collected through the software NodeXL.

Paper long abstract:

Social media and new media have become a relevant issue in Kenya in terms of communication and sharing information. According to the Communication Authority of Kenya, 89.2% of Kenyans have access to mobile and 87% have access to Internet. Moreover, Kenya is one of the most active countries of Africa in Twitter and Facebook according to several surveys. In addition, some research have showed that Kenyans have been using social media platforms as a channel to discuss the current political affairs and political issues during electoral periods.

The forthcoming Presidential Election in Kenya is due in August 2017. In the last months there have been several controversial episodes regarding the election such as the election commission nominees, the electronic voting system, composition of the opposition political party or the registration process to vote. Kenyans are using social media platforms as channels to discuss these political affairs and express their opinion about them.

This paper presents the state of Kenyan public opinion in new media and social media platforms concerning the vote and the issues surrounding it that are happening during the months leading to the election. The research is collecting data through software NodeXL, a software program to measure and track social media and Internet conversations based on the Network Theory and the relationship between people and their links and nodes among them. Furthermore, the research shows the networks and the type of conversation generated for each topic analyzed.