Kenya - Democracy on Trial
Godwin Murunga(Author)
Zed Books Ltd (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 28. February 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-84813-255-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-84813-255-9 (9781848132559)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
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).