The Rise of a Party-State in Kenya

From Harambee! to Nyayo!

Jennifer A. Widner

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9780520076242
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780520911857
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

Although Kenya is often considered an African success story, its political climate became increasingly repressive under its second president, Daniel arap Moi. Widner charts the transformation of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) from a weak, loosely organized political party under Jomo Kenyatta into an arm of the president's office, with "watchdog" youth wings and strong surveillance and control functions, under Moi. She suggests that single-party systems have an inherent tendency to become "party-states, " or single-party regimes in which the head of state uses the party as a means of control. The speed and extent of these changes depend on the countervailing power of independent interest groups, such as business associations, farmers, or professionals. Widner's study offers important insights into the dynamics of party systems in Africa.
Although Kenya is often considered an African success story, its political climate became increasingly repressive under its second president, Daniel arap Moi. Widner charts the transformation of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) from a weak, loosely

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Maps and Tables
• Acknowledgments
• Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Foreign Terms
• Abbreviated Chronology of Events
• CHAPTER ONE Creating Political Order
• CHAPTER TWO Single-Party Dominance, 1964-1969
• CHAPTER THREE The Struggle in the Rift Valley, 1970-1975
• CHAPTER FOUR The Transition Period, 1976-1980
• CHAPTER FIVE From “Harambee!” to “Nyayo!” 1980-1985
• CHAPTER SIX Party, State, and Civil Society, 1985-1990
• CHAPTER SEVEN The Kenyan Party-State in Comparative Perspective
• Appendix: The Uses of Evidence
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index