Politics of Kenya
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The politics of Kenya take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system in accordance with a new constitution passed in 2010.
The
Executive branch
Office | Name | Party | Since |
---|---|---|---|
President | William Ruto | United Democratic Alliance | 13 September 2022 |
Deputy President
|
Rigathi Gachagua | United Democratic Alliance | 13 September 2022 |
The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. As of the 2013 March general election, the Constitution of Kenya has two requirements for any candidate to be declared winner:
- to win at least 25% of the vote in a majority of Kenya's forty-seven counties[3]
- to garner 50% + 1 vote of the total valid votes.
If none of the candidates fulfills these requirements there is to be a runoff between the two contenders with the highest number of votes. The
Between 2008 and 2013 Kenya was governed by a Grand coalition, established by a power-sharing agreement, signed by then President
Legislative branch
The
There is also a Senate with 67 members. 47 elected from counties acting as single-member constituencies, 16 women nominated by political parties, a man and a woman representing youths and a man and woman representing people with disabilities.[8] The speaker is an ex-officio member.[9]
Political parties and elections
Judicial branch
The
Administrative divisions
Under the 2010 Constitution, Kenya is divided into 47
There are provisions for additional Assembly members to be appointed to improve the gender balance and to represent special groups such as persons with disabilities and youth. Each county is administered by an elected County Governor and Deputy Governor, backed by an Executive Committee.
Political conditions
Since independence in 1963, Kenya has maintained remarkable stability, despite changes in its political system and crises in neighboring countries. Particularly since the re-emergence of multiparty democracy, Kenyans have enjoyed an increased degree of freedom. A cross-party parliamentary reform initiative in the fall of 1997 revised some oppressive laws inherited from the colonial era that had been used to limit freedom of speech and assembly. This improved public freedoms and contributed to generally credible national elections in December 1997.
In December 2002, Kenya held democratic and open elections and elected Mwai Kibaki as their new president. The elections, which were judged free and fair by local and international observers, marked an important turning point in Kenya's democratic evolution. President Kibaki campaigned on a policy of generating economic growth, improving education, combating corruption, and implementing a new constitution, the draft of which was produced by Professor Ghai under the Moi regime. Considerable success has been achieved in the first two policy areas, the constitutional process had become mired (see below) and the fight against corruption has been a disaster.
There have been major scandals (including
Prior to the 2002 election, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was agreed between NAK and LDP, which laid the basis for the two groups to contest the election under the NARC (Rainbow Alliance) banner. The MoU agreed that a new constitution would be established shortly after the election, which provided for the new role of a strong Prime Minister while weakening the role of the President. Raila Odinga, then leader of LDP, maintained aspirations to become Prime Minister. However, that draft constitution was modified by the government from what was written by Professor Ghai and amended by the Bomas committee.
This maintained a strong President, who controls a weaker Prime Minister. This led to a split between NAK and LDP, with the former campaigning for a 'Yes' vote in a 2005 referendum on the constitution and the latter a 'No'. Also supporting a 'No' vote was the majority of Uhuru Kenyatta's KANU party, the sole party of government from independence to 2002. The outcome of that referendum, in which the draft constitution was rejected, signalled a wider re-alignment before the 2007 elections, in which the No team reorganised itself as the Orange Democratic Movement with Raila Odinga as their presidential flag bearer whilst those in the Yes team ended up in several political parties including the Party of National Unity.
Internal wrangling within that governing coalition also negatively affected other crucial areas of governance, notably the planned large-scale privatisation of government-owned enterprises. The 2007 presidential elections were largely believed to have been flawed with international observers stating that they did not meet regional or international standards. Most observers suggest that the tallying process for the presidential results was rigged to the advantage of the incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki, despite overwhelming indications that his rival and the subsequent Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, won the election. In July 2008, exit polls commissioned by the US government were released, revealing that Odinga had won the election by a comfortable margin of 6%, well outside of the poll's 1.3% margin of error.[17]
There was significant and widespread violence in Kenya—
A diplomatic solution was achieved, as the two rivals were later united in a grand coalition government following international mediation, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, under a power-sharing National Accord on Reconciliation Act, entrenched in the constitution. Following the agreement, power was shared between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister, Raila Odinga. Several steps were recommended to ensure stability and peace for the Nation during the negotiations that led to the formation of the Coalition government. One of these reforms was the famous Agenda 4 which deals with reforms in various sectors. A new constitution was identified as a key area in fulfilling Agenda 4. A draft constitution was published and Kenyans adopted it in a vote on 4 August 2010. In 2013 the coalition government was rendered ineffective due to the constitution. General elections were held and the Jubilee coalition with President,
References
- ISBN 0-19-286732-6
- ^ "Democracy Index 2022: Frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine" (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit. 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ Article 138 (4) The Constitution of Kenya, 2010
- ^ "Qualifications for Position of the Presidency in Kenya". AfroCave. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ BBC News – Kenya rivals agree to share power 02.28.08
- ^ "The Political System Of Kenya - One Of The Best In Africa". GpotCenter. 12 July 2022.
- ^ Article 97, Membership of the National Assembly, The Constitution of Kenya, 2010
- ^ "The Functions and Role of the Senate in Kenya". AfroCave. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Article 98, Membership of the Senate, The Constitution of Kenya, 2010
- ^ Article 162, the Constitution of Kenya 2010
- ^ "Countries". Commonwealth Governance. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Article 166, Constitution of Kenya 2010
- ^ Article 169, Constitution O Kenya 2010
- ^ "Kenyan Judiciary".
- ^ "Functions and Role of the County Assembly in Kenya". AfroCave. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Role of Members of the County Assembly in Kenya". AfroCave. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ The Nation, 8 July 2008 "Nationmedia.com | Daily Nation | POLITICS | US-funded exit poll says Raila won elections". Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008. US-funded exit poll says Raila won election
- ^ Samir Elhawary (2008) Crisis in Kenya: land, displacement and the search for 'durable solutions' Overseas Development Institute
- ^ Team, Standard. "President Uhuru Kenyatta declared winner of repeat presidential election". The Standard. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Tom (November 2019). "Handshake ends crisis and leads to signs of progress in Kenya". Financial Times.
- ^ "Kenya election result: William Ruto wins presidential poll". BBC News. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ Obulutsa, George; Mersie, Ayenat (13 September 2022). "William Ruto sworn in as Kenya's fifth president". Reuters.
- Notes from Nairobi Blog about Kenyan politics for The Walrus magazine,
- BBC News – Kenya rivals agree to share power 28 February 2008.
- Photojournalist's Account – Images of Kenya's last presidential election
- CIA World Factbook Entry
- Kenyan politics
Further reading
- Hassan, Mai. 2020. Regime Threats and State Solutions: Bureaucratic Loyalty and Embeddedness in Kenya. Cambridge University Press.
- Michaela Wrong (1986), It's Our Turn to Eat: the Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower, Fourth Estate, Reviewed in The Daily Telegraph.
External links
- News
- Others
- Kenya Government at Curlie
- ISBN 0-300-02385-5.
- Kimaiyo, Towett J. (2004). Ogiek Land Cases and Historical Injustices – 1902–2004. Nakuru, Kenya: Ogiek Welfare Council. pp. 127 pages + appendices. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. (Full text of book at link.)
- Strengthening U.S. Ties With Kenya, Michael Johns, Heritage Foundation, 24 April 1990.
- "Who Owns Kenya? — What is the Queen Doing in Parliament?". 31 March 2007. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.