GOVERNMENT
The unicameral National Assembly consists of 210 members elected to a term of 5 years from single-member constituencies, plus 12 members nominated by political parties on a proportional representation basis. The president appoints the vice president; under the power-sharing agreement, the president with the agreement of the prime minister makes the initial appointment of cabinet members from among those elected to the assembly. Subsequent cabinet appointments are made by the president in consultation with the prime minister, in accord with the power-sharing agreement's proportional division of cabinet positions. The attorney general and the speaker are ex-officio members of the National Assembly.
The judiciary is headed by a High Court, consisting of a Chief Justice and High Court judges and judges of Kenya's Court of Appeal, all appointed by the president.
Local administration is divided among 69 rural districts, each headed by a commissioner appointed by the president. The government has proposed 37 more districts, but these are not yet ratified by parliament. The districts are joined to form seven rural provinces. Nairobi has special provincial status. The Ministry of State in charge of Provincial Administration and Internal Security supervises the administration of districts and provinces.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Until post-election political unrest struck in early 2008, Kenya had, since independence, maintained remarkable stability despite changes in its political system and crises in neighboring countries. This had been particularly true since the re-emergence of multiparty democracy and the accompanying increase in freedom (including freedom of speech, the press, and assembly).
In December 2002, Kenyans held democratic and open elections, which were judged free and fair by international observers. The 2002 elections marked an important turning point in Kenya's democratic evolution as the presidency and the parliamentary majority passed from the party that had ruled Kenya since independence to a coalition of new political parties. The government lost a referendum over its draft constitution in November 2005. This vote too was widely accepted as free, fair, and credible.
Under the first presidency of Mwai Kibaki, the NARC coalition promised to focus its efforts on generating economic growth, improving and expanding education, combating corruption, and rewriting the constitution. The first two goals were largely met, but progress toward the second two goals was limited. President Kibaki's cabinet from 2002-2005 consisted of members of parliament from allied parties and others recruited from opposition parties who joined the cabinet without the approval of their party leaderships.
In early 2006, revelations from investigative reports of two major government-linked corruption scandals rocked Kenya and led to resignations, including three ministers (one of whom was later re-appointed). In March 2006, another major scandal was uncovered involving money laundering and tax evasion in the Kenyan banking system. The government's March 2006 raid on the Standard Group media house conducted by masked Kenyan police was internationally condemned and was met with outrage by Kenya media and civil society. The government did not provide a sufficient explanation. No one has been held accountable.
The December 2007 elections were marred by serious irregularities, and set off a
wave of violence throughout Kenya. Following the February 2008 signing of a
power-sharing agreement between President Kibaki and the opposition, a new
coalition cabinet was sworn in April 2008, headed by Prime Minister Odinga. The
42-member cabinet is the largest in Kenya's history and includes new ministries
for cooperative development, Northern Kenya development, and Nairobi
metropolitan development. Several ministries were also subdivided, creating a
number of new cabinet positions.
With the creation of the coalition government, the Kenyan Government will focus its attention on achieving its ambitious reform agenda, aimed at avoiding a repeat of early 2008's post-election political and tribal violence. The government also plans to draft a new constitution by April 2009, specifically to address land rights issues and to restructure the government by strengthening institutions to create a more effective system of checks and balances.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Mwai Kibaki
Vice President--Kalonzo Musyoka
Prime Minister-designate--Raila Odinga
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Moses Wetangula
Ambassador to the United States--Peter Ogego
Ambassador to the United Nations--Zachary Muita-Muburi
Consulate General Los Angeles--Ms. Nyambura Kamau
Kenya maintains
an embassy in the
United States at 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel.
202-387-6101).
Type: Republic.
Independence: December 12, 1963.
Constitution: 1963.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state, head of government, commander in chief of armed forces), prime minister, and two deputy prime ministers. Legislative--unicameral National Assembly (parliament). Judicial--Court of Appeal, High Court, various lower and special courts, includes Kadhi (Sharia) courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 69 districts, joined to form 7 rural provinces. The Nairobi area has special provincial status. The government has gazetted 37 new districts. The process of establishing these districts is ongoing.
Political parties: Over 100 registered political parties. Two recently formed coalitions, the Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), dominate the political party scene. PNU membership is filled by parties representing Kikuyu and closely related ethnic groups; ODM membership ranks are filled by parties representing nearly everybody else. PNU and ODM agreed in February 2008 to form a grand coalition government in a power-sharing arrangement that ended the political crisis erupting after highly controversial national elections in December 2007. It is currently unclear whether an official opposition party will emerge in parliament.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
