Tensions and reversals in democratic transitions

About this book

This book is a product of much reflection on the gaps and gains in Kenya's democratic process. The book is inspired by the desire to record, archive, analyse, and interpret that sad but immensely significant occurrence in Kenya's political evolution: the 2007 General Elections and the violent social convulsions that followed; the deeply hidden social-political divisions the post-election violence brought to the fore; and the resultant constitutional and institutional architecture of governance it created - the Grand Coalition Government. The book also reflects on the progress that has been made and the threats inherent therein. It sits on the side of the debate that takes the view that the democratisation process will not necessarily be peaceful, neat, or uni-linear. It acknowledges that the balance sheet of Kenya's democratisation project demonstrates mixed result. Whereas in the period leading up to December 2007 the 'assets' side of the balance sheet was arguably healthier, the post-election violence exposed huge liabilities mostly hidden in the structural inefficiencies of Kenya.