Bent on self-destruction: The Kibaki regime in Kenya

Kenya's December 2002 general elections marked the first time in the country's history that the ruling party, Kenyan African National Union (KANU), headed by President Moi has been bundled out of power after four decades at the helm by the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) led by Mwai Kibaki. This electoral victory brought about the emergence of two trajectories of optimistic expectations. The first focused on the person of the new president whereas the second is rooted in the older civil society paradigm. However after only two years, the high rates of approval for Kibaki that saw Kenya ranked the most optimistic nation in the world following the NARC assumption of power slumped to disenchantment and despair. This dramatic loss of support is attributed to four factors. First is the political biographies of the new key political actors, especially that of President Mwai Kibaki. Second is the nature of the Kenyan political culture. Third is the disappointing turn of events with the Kibaki regime in terms of the fallacy of the civil society promise. Fourth is the dynamics of rational self-interest on the part of the new political elite. A close look at these four factors reveals the implications of the NARC politics of continuity. First, is that the NARC regime appears bent on self-destruction. Second, the political situation in the country may portend a return to the old repressive ways. Finally, there is the implication of the politics of continuity for the reform movement in Kenya.