Kenya has faced internal conflicts for the past six years, especially surrounding the Presidential election. The political system in Kenya is especially week due to a lack of legitimacy and credibility. The general election that was held in Kenya on August 8th, 2017 is apart of the newest corrupt election that garnered international attention. Kenya is situated on the east coast of Africa and is considered to be “the cradle of humanity”, according to BBC News (2018). Kenya is viewed by most and especially the west as a conflicted nation.
Like many groups in Africa, traditional Kenyans were simple hunter-gatherers. These people lived off of their land as sustenance farmers or as pastorals. Agriculture, fishing and metal production coupled with trade with other countries created a simple economy for Kenya .
In the pre-colonial era, Kenya was made of three distinct ethnic groups. These groups were the Cushites, Nilotics and the Bantu (Soft Kenya). The earliest group, the Cushites, migrated from Northern Africa to Kenya in 2000 B.C. These groups coexisted, none exerting themselves as a dominating power or establishing a kingdom (Soft Kenya). Groups were ruled by elders, not government officials (Soft Kenya). However, in the 18th century, the Wanga kingdom was established (Soft Kenya). This was the first group that utilized a kind of system of government, complete with a leader they called a king (Soft Kenya). The Wanga kingdom economy was boosted by trade. In the 8th century, Arabs, Indians, Persians and Chinese made the trek to the coast of Kenya to trade skins, ivory, gold and spices (Kenya Travel Tips). Arabs continued to make a significant presence in Kenya, where Swahili, Kenya’s main language, was a branch of Arabic used to communicate between the Arabs and Kenyans (KTT). Soon after, the Portuguese arrived and essentially diminished Arab dominance (KTT).
Africa began being colonized in the 1600s. The first group to appear in Africa were the Portuguese, but they were not an overwhelming presence as they sought only to trade with natives. Other European nations, such as Britain, colonized Kenya more permanently, attempting to rule Kenya with no intention of actually remaining in the country. Because native Africans typically categorized Europeans as temporary visitors, such as their relationship with the Portuguese, Africans were well receiving of the British (Washington State University). This foothold for the British would later turn into the official colonization of Kenya.
The colonization of Kenya began with the Berlin Conference of 1885. During the 1870s and 1880s, various European countries sought to colonize Africa, as Europe had many commercial opportunities to explore in the region (Oxford Reference). The British won the battle for colonization in East Africa, which included Kenya, in 1888 when the British East Africa Company “received a royal charter to develop trade in Kenya” (WSU). British settlers took over the region, and banned Africans and Asians from participating politically (KTT). This would foreshadow the political turmoil of present day Kenya. One major aspect of the British colonization was their distinct implementation of African slavery (WSU). Although slavery was already being used within tribes, Africans based their slavery on creating a system of correction and enforcement, it was a weak peer policing concept (Foster 123). The British, however, separated the black Africans from the white settlers, creating a racial divide in Kenya.
In 1942, Kenya’s Mau Mau movement arose. This marked the first Kenyan resistance, and ultimately began the start of a road towards independence (KTT). “The Mau Mau movement was a militant African nationalist group that opposed British colonial rule and its exploitation of the native population” (Kenya Gains Independence). The Mau Mau resisters were violent, and essentially began a revolutionary war that lasted from 1952 to 1956. Although the British ultimately suppressed the Mau Mau, the nationalist group was able to prompt social and political reform in Kenya. Finally, in 1963, Kenya produced a constitution that mandated a bicamerial legistature elected with legitimate elections. Kenyans finally had political participation. However, Kenya’s politics quickly consolidated into one party and left little room for political diversity. Kenyatta, the leader of the Kenyan national party, ultimately joined with his opposition to take control of the Kenyan government. As the executive branch gathered all the power and dominated the government, corruption became rampant (Kenya Gains Independence).
Kenya’s history of group after group coming, going and impacting explains how Kenya has reached its current state of political corruption. Prior to colonization, Kenya had multiple ethnicities living together peacefully. However, Africa was the primary continent subject to Europe’s colonialism and expansion, and this was a primary cause of the division of Kenya. Division ultimately leads to instability and instability leads to violence (Foster 145). Kenyans recognized that the British exerted themselves as more important than the natives, and when they rebelled, these rebels essentially adopted European ideals and implemented them in their own country. The only legitimacy these Kenyan leaders were exposed to was of European influence, therefore, European colonists shaped the corruption of Kenya today (Kenya Gains Independence).
Kenya’s government is riddled with corruption due to the concentration of power in the executive branch. Evidently, Kenya’s presidential elections are controlled by the people in charge, the people are not being fairly represented. But corruption does not start at and end in the executive branch. Bribery is rampant across the entire country. Even police officers seem to have ulterior motives when it comes to promoting peace and enforcing laws (How Widespread Corruption is Hurting Kenya). In a PBS interview with a Kenyan athlete whose 3,500 prize for his athletic talents seemingly vanished into the government, the athlete says: Pigs are selfish. And our members of Parliament are like pigs. If you steal a lot of money, you go into politics and you buy yourself immunity. You can get away with anything in this country, provided you have the money to buy your way off. Every sector in this section is affected by corruption.” This goes to show simply that the people are aware of the government’s corruption, but since the power is concentrated in the government, there is little anyone can do about this. In the United States, if we are unhappy with policy or with who is in power, we vote in reelect. In Kenya, this is not the case, as there is one political party dominating the government, and the same members of these parties monopolize every aspect of Kenyan life, especially the economy.