In Africa, city elections are where the action is

AT A street corner in Kangemi, a neighbourhood of tin-roofed shacks and new brick tenements in the west of Nairobi, men huddle into what are called street parliaments. Standing several deep, they debate politics, each man speaking in turn, with a moderator at the centre. “We are done with these thieves,” says Jeremiah Mukaiti, a 53-year-old caretaker. “We need change.” Others pipe up with similar complaints. “The government is doing nothing. They steal money, and their promises come to nothing,” says Cyrus Injiloa, a 36-year-old security guard.

Much of the talk is about the general elections, which are scheduled for August. Voters will pick from candidates running for president right down to those standing as municipal councillors. Uhuru Kenyatta, the president, will probably win a second term; no incumbent Kenyan president has ever lost an election.