Antinomies in the struggles for the transformation of the Kenyan constitution (1990-2010)

Mati, Jacob Mwathi (2013) Antinomies in the struggles for the transformation of the Kenyan constitution (1990-2010). Journal of Contemporary African Studies , 31 (2). pp. 235-254. ISSN 0258-9001

PDF - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (280kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

How do social movements force fundamental constitutional changes in a polity? This article argues that it is the ‘disruptive power’ of movements that make them a force of change. By analysing waves of contemporary Kenyan struggles for constitutional and state reform, the article explains why it was only after 20 years of struggle, and in the aftermath of a major social conflict – the 2008 post-election violence – that constitutional reforms were successful. It further argues that it was the collective threats and fears posed by the post-election violence that forced an elite consensus necessary to deliver a new constitution in Kenya in 2010.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Kenya, constitutional change, struggle, state reform, elite consensus/fragmentation, collective action/social movements, civil society
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE) > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User:	USP RSC Assistant
Date Deposited:	05 Oct 2017 04:20
Last Modified:	05 Oct 2017 04:20
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/10179

Actions (login required)

View Item