Kenya's Hopes and Impediments: The Anatomy of a Crisis of Exclusion

Abstract

This paper examines the underlying causes of the December 2007, post-election Kenyan crisis. We argue that the crisis is best understood not as simply ethnic rivalry for power but rather as a product of the rising expectations due to the increase in democratic space in the last five years combined with the frustration of over a millennium of exclusion on the economic and political fronts. Kenyan institutions have not accommodated the building of an inclusive multi-ethnic nation for reasons of their design and specific political economy and this failure resulted in the crisis. We argue that for Kenya to retain its stability and achieve peace there must be a broad political and economic programme that puts inclusion at the centre of its design. This programme must address historic demands as well as deal with immediate issues of peace and justice and it must be more than an agreement between the principals in the political crisis. We also contend that the crisis provides an opportunity to redress some of the concerns and we explore some specific constitutional changes and economic policies that the government may consider to achieve these aims.