Country report: Spotlight on Kenya

Some basic facts

Joined Commonwealth: 1963
Capital: Nairobi
Population: 38,550,000 (2008)
GDP per capita growth: 0.1 per cent per annum (1990–2006)
Official language: English
Time: GMT minus 3 hours
Currency: Kenyan Shilling (KSh)
Last election: December 2007
Next election: December 2012
Head of State: President Emilio Mwai Kibaki
Head of Government: President
Ruling Party: Grand coalition between the ODM and the PNU
Independence: 12 December 1963

What is the recent political history in Kenya?

In 2007, when elections were due, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Raila Odinga and Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K) led by Kalonzo Musyoka emerged as the main opponents to Mwai Kibaki and his newly formed coalition, the Party of National Unity (PNU). The PNU included notably KANU which had earlier left the Orange team, FORD-Kenya, NARC-Kenya (an offshoot of NARC) and several smaller parties. Tensions were high in the pre-election period, with outbreaks of violence.

Following a relatively peaceful polling day on 27 December 2007, the Orange team decisively won the parliamentary elections; ODM took 99 seats and its partner NARC three. The ruling PNU took 43 seats and its coalition partners 35 seats. Of the remaining constituencies declared, ODM-K won in 16 and independents in 11. A re-run was ordered in the three undeclared constituencies.

Unofficial results of the presidential election indicated Raila Odinga led Kibaki by at least 200,000 votes and the absence of any official declaration provoked widespread unrest in the country. When in late January 2008 the Electoral Commission published results, Kibaki was ahead with 4,584,721 votes, then Odinga with 4,352,993 and Musyoka with 879,903. Commonwealth observers noted that the elections were ‘the most competitive in the country’s history’ but raised doubts on the handling of the final stages of the presidential election, particularly the delay in announcing the results.

Protests about the presidential election results erupted and intensified in a period that became one of the most violent since independence and hundreds of people were killed. Some of the violence assumed an ethnic dimension with the Kikuyu perceived as pro-Kibaki and the Luo as Odinga supporters. The opposing leaders eventually agreed to work together in a power-sharing coalition government with Kibaki as president and Odinga as prime minister. The agreement was brokered by a group of eminent persons led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In March 2008 the National Assembly enacted a law to formalise the deal. Odinga subsequently became prime minister in a grand coalition government.

How does the Commonwealth Secretariat help Kenya?

The following articles describe some of the Commonwealth’s projects, which aim to assist the East African country:

Experts call for greater local participation in private equity in Africa

Participants say there is need for concerted efforts aimed at raising awareness about sector

Kenya looks to improve electricity supply in rural communities

Public institutions such as schools and health centres are priority areas of focus

Finance experts to discuss ways of boosting investment in East Africa

Representatives from pension funds, insurance companies and other long term investors are among those attending

Improving negotiating skills of East African public servants

Commonwealth programme looks to build up a critical mass of seasoned negotiators in East Africa

Commonwealth teams up with bank chief to support youth enterprise in Africa

Secretariat to partner with PK Munga Foundation to deliver up to US$600,000 in mentoring aid

Postgraduate diploma up for grabs with legislative drafting course

Commonwealth programme provides hands-on coaching and support for lawyers

Kenyan judges tackle gender discrimination in land disputes

The Kenya Women Judges Association (KWJA) looks to overturn customary law in an effort to address property inequalities and unclog the courts system

Case study (2009): Boosting Kenyan exports to the world

Trade professional shares expertise from four continents

In an effort to open up more trade and investment in Kenya and help boost the country’s US$5 billion export industry, the government brought in Dr Shyam Agrawal in August 2007 to share his expertise.

The Indian trade professional, who is funded by the CFTC, works with Kenya’s Export Promotion Council (EPC) in the capital, Nairobi. One of his first moves was to devise a strategic plan for the country’s trade over the next four years – a plan that earned him the council’s Special Award in 2008.

‘It has been largely recognised that significant improvement is needed in the functioning of the EPC and its activities’, states Dr Agrawal. ‘The establishment of trade promotion practices, customer orientation, market prioritisation, performance measurement and a structured company database have been widely accepted’.

Kenya’s main exports are tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish and cement. The East African nation has taken measures to liberalise its trade regime, including the removal of price and currency controls, and entering into bilateral trade agreements. Dr Agrawal says the country no hopes to diversify its markets and develop new products, partly by building the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This requires the development of long-term marketing linkages in both the domestic and export markets.

‘Creating a marketing intermediary and domestic marketing outlets in the country is one way’, explains Dr Agrawal. ‘This can be done through public-private partnerships. Several countries have implemented this practice very successfully, which have led to the opening up of opportunities for SMEs to build their potential to tap the international market’.

A typical day for Dr Agrawal involves training officials and preparing presentations, as well as attending meetings with officials of the EPC and other organisations. He keeps a broad view of all activities at the EPC, to ensure that its strategic plans are effectively implemented.

Dr Agrawal, who has worked for trade promotion organisations in India, the USA, Mauritius and Kenya, is able to share his experiences on best practices from abroad, particularly from his parent organisation, the India Trade Promotion Organisation.

‘We share knowledge and expertise in a cross-cultural environment – EPC officials appreciate new ideas and thoughts’, he says, adding that working with his EPC colleagues also ‘expands my work horizon and vision’.

Dr Agrawal is confident he will not only assist the Kenyan Government in opening up trade opportunities, but that he will also gain a better understanding of the country’s efforts to enhance its economy.

For more information on Kenya, click here

Secretariat Links:

• Country Profile: Kenya