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RARE PHOTOS: Mwai kibaki | Vintage Vibes

Raila Odinga mastered the art of political compromise for the good of Kenya

One of the markers of Kenyan statesman Raila Odinga was not just his courage in challenging the establishment but his ability to fortify it when circumstances demanded. An example was his willingness in 2007 to set aside his ambition at having been robbed of the presidency in a rigged election…

The Conversation

Raila Odinga obituary

Kenyan politician who contested the presidency five times and whose term as prime minister ushered in a period of calm and inclusivity

The Guardian - UK

Raila Odinga: the man who changed Kenya without ever ruling it

Raila Amollo Odinga, who has died at the age of 80, was something of a paradox in post-independence Kenyan politics.

The Conversation

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Raila Odinga, an enduring voice of Kenya’s democratic struggle, dies aged 80

Kenya’s former prime minister and veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has died following a decades-long career that defined the country’s struggle for democracy.

Radio France Internationale

Raila Odinga, towering Kenyan opposition figure, dies aged 80

Odinga, who ran five times for presidency and had profound influence on Kenyan politics, has died in India

The Guardian - UK

Kenya’s forgotten Mau Mau freedom fighters and the impeached deputy president that stood up for them

Kenya’s ousted deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, who was impeached in October 2024, established his name early enough as a forceful politician unafraid to take a stand. These include his aggressive push for justice for Mau Mau ex-freedom fighters and those who survived them. Landless veterans of the guerrilla war against…

The Conversation

Kenya’s churches have a powerful political voice – they fill a vacuum left by politicians

Kenyan religious institutions have become strongly critical of President William Ruto’s government for months now. The criticism grew stronger still recently when the assembly of Catholic bishops bluntly called out the administration for a “culture of lies”, the failure to fulfil campaign promises and the imposition of punitive and exploitative…

The Conversation

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Kenya’s presidents have a long history of falling out with their deputies – Rigathi Gachagua’s impeachment would be no surprise

The process of removing Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is part of a long history, dating back to independence, of fallouts between the president and his deputy. The difference this time around is the process.

The Conversation

Kenya’s president dissolved cabinet after popular protests: economist maps out his limited options

Kenya’s President William Ruto fired all but one cabinet minister in his second shock decision following deadly protests triggered by tax increases. The first was the withdrawal of the tax measures on 26 June, the day after at least a dozen people were killed in youth-led nationwide protests. Ruto has…

The Conversation

Violence is the language of the Kenyan state: 5 strategies it uses to control citizens

Since the early 2000s, Kenya has come up with legislative changes and thrown a tremendous amount of funding at a range of reforms to improve the relationship between police and citizens. Specifically, these reforms have been aimed at addressing impunity and human rights abuses.

The Conversation

Kenya unrest: the deep economic roots that brought Gen-Z onto the streets

The generation of Kenyans born between 1997 and 2012 – the Gen-Zs – have borne the brunt of the country’s slow economic growth. If a country has slow economic growth, it typically experiences higher unemployment rates, reduced income levels and decreased investments. It leads to an overall lower living standard.

The Conversation

Kenya at 60: six key moments that shaped post-colonial politics

Kenya celebrates 60 years of independence this year. As a political scientist who has studied Kenya for the past 20 years, I consider a turning point from each decade that helped to shape the east African country’s post-colonial politics. I haven’t selected elections, assassinations or other moments that have enjoyed…

The Conversation

Kenya's political elites switch parties with every election – how this fuels violence

Barely seven months after leaving office, Kenya’s former president Uhuru Kenyatta is battling to keep together the party that won him a second term and a majority in parliament in 2017. His Jubilee Party performed dismally in the 2022 election. Only 25 out of 290 members of parliament, two out…

The Conversation

Top 10 books about corruption

Authors from Jane Mayer to Michael Lewis show that malfeasance from government and private enterprise is by no means just a foreign affair

The Guardian - UK

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The Conversation

Kenya’s new finance minister has good credentials but he can't work miracles

President William Ruto has nominated Njuguna Ndung'u to head Kenya’s National Treasury. A Central Bank of Kenya governor for eight years between 2007 and 2015, Ndung'u is also an accomplished researcher and a University of Nairobi academic. He has extensive expertise in macroeconomics (inflation, economic growth, national income and unemployment)…

The Conversation

William Ruto is now in charge of Kenya’s shaky economy: where to start

Kenya’s President William Ruto, sworn in as new President on 13 September 2022, has inherited an economy saddled with debt, inflation, joblessness and national pessimism. The International Monetary Fund has also added to his pain: it recently asked Kenya to broaden its tax base and scrap the fuel subsidy.

The Conversation

How politics has subverted conservation efforts to protect Kenya’s Mau Forest

The Mau Forest Complex is the largest montane tropical forest in East Africa. This is an ecosystem with rich biodiversity and characterised by high rainfall.

The Conversation

Kenya's election: institutional safeguards are still a work in progress

Kenya has held its seventh national election since the reintroduction of multiparty competition in the early 1990s. Elections in the country are never dull affairs. They are always contested by ever-shifting and unstable political alliances that employ vibrant campaigns to sway both core and swing voters. This happens right up…

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The Conversation

Prosecution or compensation? What Kenyan choices tell us about international justice

In December 2007, the Electoral Commission of Kenya announced that Mwai Kibaki had won a second five-year term as president. It was a surprising outcome, given his opponent, Raila Odinga, had held a significant early lead in the polls.

Al Jazeera

Courting the Kikuyu: Kenyan politicians split biggest voting bloc

Kenya’s largest ethnic group has accounted for three of its four presidents and will be key in deciding the next.

Tribune News Service

The four men vying to win Kenya’s presidential election

The biggest challenge for the four men competing to succeed Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is to ease the cost of living crisis engulfing East Africa’s biggest economy.

Al Jazeera

Kenyan elections: Five reasons to care about the vote

Kenya, one of Africa’s largest economies, is also seen as one of its healthiest democracies, making the polls crucial.

The Conversation

Kenya’s fringe presidential candidates: what they offer in elections

On 9 August 2022, Kenyans will vote for their fifth president. It will be the country’s seventh general election since the resumption of multiparty electoral democracy 30 years ago.

Zenger

Tribal Tensions Challenge Christian Unity During Kenyan Elections

This round, the church is in a unique position to be an agent of healing and reconciliation.

Al Jazeera

Fifty days to D-day: The men vying to become Kenya’s next president

The two main challengers remain opposition leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.

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