After two elections, two supreme court decisions, and almost four months of waiting, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was finally sworn in on November 28 to a second term of office. It was not the joyous occasion Kenyatta’s supporters had hoped for.

In a world of rising authoritarianism, Kenya stands out as a democratic experiment worthy of U.S. and international support. Kenyans voted by a large margin in 2010 for a new constitution embracing liberal democratic values and widely guaranteeing individual freedoms....