About the Book

Kenya - Democracy on Trial tells the story of the violence that erupted following the outcome of the disputed general election in December 2007. Across the world, media accounts hailed the violence as a consequence of old 'tribal hatreds', marking the end of an era in which the country was assumed to be an island of peace in a sea of chaos.

In this book, the first to cover events in Kenya fully, Godwin Murunga provides a much more nuanced analysis. He shows that the electioneering and historical elements of injustice, combined with a close race and a winner-takes-all system, provide a much better context for the protests, violence, criminality and murders which followed.

In the end, Murunga argues, throughout Africa the ballot box is losing its legitimacy as a means of regime change. Unlike in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, where similar abuse has occurred, Kenya illustrates how the streets form an assertive, uncontrollable and destructive alternative.

Contents

Introduction
1. Gaining and Dissipating a Landslide
2. The Road to Balloting
3. At the Ballot Box
4. On the Streets
5. Is Kenya too important to be left to Kenyans?
6. A Crisis of Radical Leadership
Conclusion
Notes - Bibliography - Index

About the Author

Godwin Murunga lectures in History at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a PhD in History from Northwestern University and an MA from Kenyatta University. He is an Executive Committee member of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) representing the East Africa region. His articles have appeared in several journals, including Africa Development, the Journal of Asian and African Studies, and the Journal of Contemporary African Studies. His has previously co-edited Kenya: the Struggle for Democracy (2007).