RHETORICAL RESOURCES IN POLITICAL SPEECHES: A CASE OF 2022 PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH CAMPAIGN DISCOURSE IN KENYA

Abstract

This paper analyzed rhetorical resources in political speeches of 2022 presidential speech campaign discourse in Kenya. The 9th August 2022 elections in Kenya reflected the new dynamics in political environment. Consequently, the new dynamics reshaped the political discourse in Kenya from ethnics rhetoric’s to real issue based rhetoric’s. The study applied Faircloughs (1989, 2001) Critical Discourse Analysis theory. The study focused on political campaign speeches of two candidates only; former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto then. The research adopted a descriptive qualitative research design. The study used purpose sampling to select the speeches. Primary data (speeches, party manifestos and campaign video clips) as well as secondary data (newspapers and online sources) were used to critically analyze the aspect of rhetorical resources in 2022 presidential speeches. Documentary reviews and checklist were used to collect the specific rhetorical devices. The findings of the study revealed that both the presidential candidates employed propagated their ideologies through rhetorical resources such as repetition, pronoun and voice, three part list, metaphor and analogies. It is hoped that the study is beneficial in terms of theory and practice and in discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and applied linguistics. The study also provides useful insights to politicians, political analysts and researchers who have immense interest in political speeches.