What Has He Got up His Sleeve? Advertising the Kenyan Presidential Candidates in 2007

Abstract

Formal advertising played an unprecedentedly prominent part in the 2007 Kenya elections. This article offers a brief description of the media advertising campaigns of the two main contenders for the presidency, and suggests that, particularly in the case of the incumbent, this visible media campaign shared much of its message with a campaign which was pursued by leaflets, emails, text messages and in speeches, which emphasised the alleged dangers of a Raila victory.

Notes

1. Steadman Group, ‘Political Campaigns’, put the breakdown of media spending as 45 per cent on radio; 34 per cent on television and 21 per cent print

2. Throup and Hornsby, Multi-party Politics, 367–69.

3. Throup and Hornsby, Multi-party Politics, 359.

4. For a similar bias in the 1992 election, see ibid., 365

5. Sunday Nation, 14 Oct. 2007.

6. ‘Kibaki Tena’, Daily Nation, 30 Sep. 2007.

7. ‘Because we Want his Work to Continue’, Daily Nation, 7 Oct. 2007.

8. ‘Statement on Majimbo’, Daily Nation, 28 Oct. 2007; Daily Nation, 20 Oct. 2007.

9. ‘This New MoU: More Questions than Answers’, Daily Nation, 30 Nov. 2007.

10. ‘The President has our Support’, Daily Nation, 25 Nov. 2007.

11. ‘Message from Kenyans in the USA’, Daily Nation, 30 Nov. 2007; ‘Campaign Focus 2007’, Daily Nation, 2 Nov. 2007; ‘Institute for African Development’, Daily Nation, 18 Nov. 2007.

12. ‘Evangelical Alliance of Kenya’, Daily Nation, 29 Nov. 2007.

13. Advertisement by ‘A Patriot’, Daily Nation, 23 Dec. 2007

14. ‘I am Proud to Serve a Nation of Heroes’, ‘I am Honoured to Serve a Sovereign Nation’, Daily Nation, 13 and 20 Oct. 2007, 12 Dec. 2007.

15. See the advertisement announcing the website, Daily Nation, 22 Nov. 2007.

16. ‘The Business Community for Mwai Kibaki’, DailyNation, 30 Nov. 2007

17. ‘Wasee Wamejichora Job’, Daily Nation, 24 Nov. 2007.

18. Daily Nation, 27 Nov. 2007.

19. Steadman Group, ‘Political Campaign’.

20. ‘Let's Reason Together’, Daily Nation, 9 and 14 Dec. 2007.

21. ‘You Know Kibaki’, Daily Nation, 19, 22 and 23 Dec 2007.

22. Daily Nation, 23 Dec. 2007.

23. For example, the full-page advertisement, Daily Nation, 27 Nov. 2007.

24. Daily Nation, 24 Sep. 2007

25. Daily Nation, 13 Sep. 2007, 19 and 20 Dec. 2007.

26. ‘Prayers for National Healing and Reconciliation’, Daily Nation, 26 Oct. 2007.

27. ‘It's Time for the Truth’, Daily Nation, 2 Nov. 2007.

28. ‘Kibaki's Manifesto Cannot be Trusted’, Daily Nation, 12 Nov. 2007.

29. ‘Falsehoods that Tried to Divide Christians and Muslims’, Daily Nation, 28 Nov. 2007; Daily Nation, 1 Dec. 2007.

30. See the advert by the National Muslim Leaders’ Forum: ‘Can we Trust you Mr President’, Daily Nation, 12 Nov. 2007.

31. ‘Who Says Raila is a Godless Man?’, Daily Nation, 9 Dec. 2007.

32. ‘You Know Raila’, Daily Nation, 23 Dec. 2007

33. Daily Nation, 31 Oct. 2007, 1 Nov. 2007

34. ‘Warembo na Kibaki’, Daily Nation, 20 Dec. 2007; Daily Nation, 27 Oct. 2007. Charity Ngilu had not joined the Pentagon at this point.

35. Human Rights Watch, ‘Ballots to Bullets’, 36–37.

36. Steadman Group, ‘Political Campaigns’; ‘Adverts Consume 150m’, Daily Nation, 8 Dec. 2007.