Political issues

Political issues

History 1895 – 2002

Kenya became a British protectorate in 1895 and a colony in 1920. By the 1940’s European settlers had achieved considerable prosperity within Kenya at the same time as African population growth which resulted in increased pressure for land. Although first nationalist tendencies in Kenya had developed towards the end of World War One it was in 1944 that Jomo Kenyatta formed the first national organisation.When the Mau Mau rebellion erupted in 1952, a state of emergency was declared, parties were banned and Kenyatta was tried and sent to prison. African members were elected to the legislative council in 1957 and the state of emergency was lifted in 1960. Political parties were legalised and Africans formed a majority on the legislative council. Two parties emerged: the Kenya Africa National Union (KANU) and the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU). KANU won a general election in 1961 but refused to form an administration until the release of Kenyatta.

At independence in 1963, Kenyatta became Prime Minister. The following year KADU dissolved itself and Kenya became a republic with Kenyatta as its first President. A new opposition party was banned in 1969 and Kenya remained a de facto 1-party state for the remainder of Kenyatta’s rule. On his death in 1978 Daniel arap Moi followed him into office.

In 1991, under pressure from Kenyan activists and the international community, this was reversed. With multi-partyism restored, several opposition parties emerged: FORD Kenya, FORD Asili, Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, National Development Party of Kenya and other smaller parties. However, KANU retained control, winning contentious elections in 1992 and 1997 against a divided opposition and amidst allegations of election abuse. The Kenyan political environment remained turbulent throughout the 1990s.

2002 – Run up to the December 2007 elections

President Moi stepped down in 2002, as required by the 1991 constitution. Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Jomo, secured the leadership of KANU and stood for the Presidency, but a group of MPs broke with KANU to form the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). For the first time, all the opposition parties united under the banner of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) and behind a single presidential candidate. President Kibaki's general election victory on 27 December 2002 ended nearly 40 years of KANU rule. The elections were the cleanest and most peaceful in Kenya's history and were followed by a smooth transfer of power to NARC.

But the first years of NARC's rule proved difficult due to the fracturing of the NARC coalition, and a lengthy public consultation process produced a new draft constitution (known as the Bomas draft) in March 2004. But its provisions, notably those reducing the executive powers of the Presidency, proved unacceptable to the government. After a protracted legal wrangle the government secured Parliamentary approval for certain key amendments to be made and a new Constitution Bill was published. However, the new draft was rejected by 58% of voters when it was put to a referendum in November 2005. This prompted Kibaki to sack his entire government and start with a new team which excluded all those Ministers who voted against the draft. The "No" campaigners formed a new political party, ODM-Kenya. Corruption re-emerged as a major public concern in mid-2004 and represents a major threat to achieving social and economic reform.

December 2007 elections

In the run-up to the December 2007 general election, the 2 main parties reformed into large coalitions:

In August 2007, Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya – formed after the November 2005 referendum - split into the larger Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Raila Odinga, and the smaller Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya, led by Kalonzo Musyoka; and
In September the ruling party NARC-Kenya became the Party of National Unity.

The election proved to be the closest and most bitterly fought in the multi-party era. Initial reports were that the 28 December poll was largely free and fair. The ODM coalition took the largest number of Parliamentary seats, and official exit polls pointed to a win by the opposition Presidential candidate Raila Odinga (ODM). But a delay in announcing the results raised doubts about the overall conduct of the election. Despite growing concerns, on 30 December 2007 the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) announced that the incumbent Mwai Kibaki had won the Presidential race by a margin of 231,728 votes.

The opposition candidate Raila Odinga rejected the result outright. The Chair of the ECK, has since stated that he made the announcement of Kibaki’s win ‘under duress’. The European Union Election Observer Mission noted that the presidential elections lack credibility, and fell short of international standards.

Kibaki’s re-election was met with serious communal violence – especially between rival ethnic groups - and a strong response by government security forces; over 1,000 people have been reported killed, and an estimated 300,000 people displaced. Kofi Annan was asked by the African Union to lead a panel of Eminent African Personalities to help negotiate a power-sharing deal between Odinga and Kibaki. An agreement was signed on 28 February 2008, which was welcomed by the international community. On 17 April a 40-strong Grand Coalition Cabinet with Raila Odinga as Prime Minister was sworn-in.

Update on the impact on the communities supported by Sally’s Children’s Trust

We retain close contact with our friends and colleagues in Kenya to keep up to date on the impacts of the recent political events on the communities living within the Shimba Hills region in which we operate. We understand that although minimal violence was experienced in the area, with protests not reaching the Shimba Hills or Diani Beach communities, considerable knock-on effects have been felt in local communities as follows:

An increase in the price of goods;
A weakened exchange rate; and
A large reduction in the number of tourist visiting the area, which has left workers unemployed and many local businesses have been forced into liquidation.

During our June 2008 visit to Kenya, it was the lack of tourism that was most noticeable with many hotels closed or empty. Local people are keen to welcome visitors from the UK and the rest of the world to their beautiful country. If you are considering travelling to Kenya we advise that you check the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website for travel advice.

Source: History of Politics in Kenya extracted from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website