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      Re‐forming the state? Kleptocracy & the political transition in Kenya

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      Review of African Political Economy
      Review of African Political Economy
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            Abstract

            Kenya's general election of December 1997 saw the return of President Daniel Arap Moi and the Kenya African National Union (KANU) but has inaugurated a period of intense political fluidity. On the one hand, the ruling party won the election, but its sense of vulnerability has been reinforced by widespread recognition that a less divided opposition could have displaced it. On the other, apparent acceptance by the President of a 1992 constitutional amendment which dictates that his re‐election would signal his last term of office has precipitated a struggle around the succession. In turn, the uncertainty has been compounded by the fact that, prior to the election, the government was forced to concede a political reform package which not only partially corrected the imbalance in the electoral rules which systematically favoured the ruling party, but which also conceded that these changes would lead on to an open‐ended review of the constitution starting in the new year (Southall, 1998). The immediate outcome has been dramatic, for whilst Moi has been casting around to shore up the increasingly shaky foundations of his regime, rivals for the presidency have begun to jockey for position and the opposition parties to re‐assess their options and relations to both KANU and each other. Additionally, the political class as a whole has been shaken by a series of financial scandals which threatens its control over an increasingly troubled economy. In short, whilst the new fluidity suggests some opportunity for a genuine democratic opening, the situation is also fraught with the danger of a simultaneous collapse of the state and of the ramshackle foundations which sustain it. Yet even if Kenya does pull off a ‘successful’ transition, it does not follow that this will matched by the arrival of a new government able and willing to confront the political roots of the economy's stagnation.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            crea20
            CREA
            Review of African Political Economy
            Review of African Political Economy
            0305-6244
            1740-1720
            March 1999
            : 26
            : 79
            : 93-108
            Affiliations
            a Rhodes University , South Africa
            Article
            8704362 Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 26, No. 79, March 1999, pp. 93-108
            10.1080/03056249908704362
            5de3a53a-a4cc-478e-a2af-345f0ddbeb73

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            History
            Page count
            Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 10, Pages: 16
            Categories
            Original Articles

            Sociology,Economic development,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics,Africa

            References

            1. Ajulu R. . 1998. . ‘Kenya's Democracy Experiment: the 1997 Elections’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 76:

            2. Himbara D. . 1994. . Kenyan Capitalists, the State and Develop‐ment . , Nairobi : : East African Educational Publishers. .

            3. Kuria G. . 1998. . ‘A Critique: Is the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission Bill, 1998, KANU's second device for retaining power after the year 2002, or a genuine democratic process?’. . Finance . , Vol. 29:

            4. Njenga E. . 1999. . ‘Kikuyu Ingrates’. . The Weekly Review . , 30 January;

            5. Report on the 1997 General Elections in Kenya . , Nairobi : : Institute for Education in Democracy, Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, National Council of Churches of Kenya. .

            6. Republic of Kenya. . 1998a. . Economic Survey 1998 . , Nairobi : : Central Bureau of Statistics. .

            7. 1998b. . Budget Speech for the fiscal Year 1998/99 . , Nairobi : : Government Printer. .

            8. SDP. . 1998. . ‘The SDP's Response’. . Finance . , Vol. 29:

            9. Southall R. . 1998. . ‘Moi's Flawed Mandate: The Crisis Continues in Kenya’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 75:

            10. The Weekly Review. . Finance, The Economic Review . Nairobi :

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