On March 4 of this
year, a new president, Uhuru Kenyatta,
was elected. He is the fourth president
of Kenya’s republic. Additionally,
several other government offices were filled, including “a host of new leaders, including governors, senators and members
of the national assembly, in accordance with the August 2010 constitution.”[1] This
constitution was proposed by Mwai Kibaki, the former president, and approved by
67% of Kenyans. The constitution
established a devolution program, in which power is diffused to 47 counties,
and this program is considered one of the world’s most “ambitious”[2]. Uhuru Kenyatta is the first president to lead
under the new constitution in an election that “registered one of the highest
voter turnouts in Kenyan history and was also widely regarded to be free and
transparent, with only isolated incidences of electoral violence.”[3] In an effort to provide counterbalance to
unchecked presidential power, the national assembly must investigate and
confirm the president’s selections to head the 18 ministries. The administration is determined to confront
some of Kenya’s most pressing problems, including “youth unemployment, regional
imbalances and land reforms, which pose political risk and insecurity
particularly in areas with high poverty levels.”[4] As a result of several new reforms
implemented by the constitution, significant progress has been made in the
judiciary and law enforcement branches of Kenya’s government. However, a lack of achievement “in
prosecution of long-standing grand corruption cases remains a setback to better
governance.”[5] Until these corruption problems are resolved,
Kenya’s government may not be able to become truly democratic.
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| Uhuru Kenyatta, current president |
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