Contemporary Politics

This review examines politics at the Coast during the post-colonial period. It aims to highlight the broad contextual features in which political life occurs in this part of Kenya, making brief reference to history, social structure, economic change and key personalities and issues. It is argued that power holders in the Kenyatta and Moi regimes have viewed the Coast in general, and Mombasa in particular, as a source of national political patronage. In this regard, the review seeks to demonstrate that regional social, racial and religious divisions have made leading political figures and groups particularly vulnerable to manipulation from outside. The general failure of the state to address the key development issues there, together with economic stagnation, continuing population growth and the recent return of multi-party politics poses the danger of unleashing less controllable forces as the supply of patronage resources diminishes.

 

A Postscript describes two main events in Coast politics that occurred after the main body of the review was completed and that underscore several of its key arguments. The first is the violence that erupted in August, 1997, and the second is the general election in December of that year, both of which took place in and helped define an evolving new context that was affecting Kenya as a whole: the looming Moi Succession.