Politics of Kenya

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 (no associate judges), all appointed by the president.

Local administration is divided among 69 rural districts, each headed by a presidentially appointed commissioner. The districts are joined to form seven rural provinces. The Nairobi area has special status and is not included in any district or province. The government supervises administration of districts and provinces.

Political conditions

Since independence, 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 has focused his efforts on generating economic growth, combating corruption, and improving education. Kenya is also in the process of rewriting its constitution.

Following disagreements between the partners in the current government coalition, constitutional reform has proceeded slower than anticipated. The NAK faction (allied to president Kibaki) favours a centralized presidential system, while the LDP faction - with the most parliamentary seats in the coalition - demands a federal, parliamentary system.

Internal wrangling within the governing coalition has also negatively affected other crucial areas of governance, such as the fight against corruption and a planned large-scale privatization of government-owned enterprises.

Political facts

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa

Data code: KE

Government type: republic

Capital: Nairobi

Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*: Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Independence: December 12, 1963 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, December 12 (1963)

Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997 and 2001

Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai Kibaki (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Moody Awori (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai Kibaki (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Moody Awori (since 25 September 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); vice president appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai Kibaki elected; percent of vote - Mwai Kibaki 63%, Uhuru Kenyatta 30%

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal, chief justice is appointed by the president; High Court

Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People (Kimaniwa Nyoike, chairman); Kenya African National Union or KANU (Uhuru Kenyatta); National Rainbow Coalition or NARC (Mwai Kibaki) - the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations (Kivutha Kibwana); Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK (Mutava Musyimi); Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims or SUPKEM (Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-Busaidy, chairman)

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, C, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNU, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center. Colour significance - Black->Our colour, Red->The Blood Shed to gain independence, Green->The richness of our soil, plant life, White-> purity

See also