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Abstract
For the first time on 4 March 2013, Kenyans voted for county governors. Devolution has significantly changed fiscal and administrative organization, but has it led to changes in politics? Has it enabled the emergence of new elites, the entrenchment of old ones or rebalanced power between the counties and the centre? These issues are explored, by asking, first, whether gubernatorial candidates were ‘insiders’ who had held public office before, or ‘outsiders’, and whether they were locals or not; and second, how national forces impacted on the gubernatorial campaigns. These questions are answered using original primary data on four counties: Nakuru, Kiambu, Mombasa and Kilifi, and aggregated data from all 47 counties. We find that the majority of winning candidates were ‘insiders’ who won using existing patronage networks, suggesting that the gubernatorial elections led to the entrenchment of existing elites and patronage networks. However, the lack of involvement of national leaders in crucial party primaries allowed for the emergence of powerful local insiders who may challenge national elites going forward. Overall, the first chapter of devolution reflected existing political dynamics in Kenya more than it changed them, although challenges to the resilience of national elites are clear.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ngala Chome for excellent research assistance. This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD).
Notes
1. CitationMueller, “Political Economy of Kenya's Crisis.”
2. CitationGhai, “Devolution: Restructuring the Kenyan State.”
3. CitationAnderson, “‘Yours in Struggle for Majimbo.’”
4. CitationBranch and Cheeseman, “Politics of Control.”
5. CitationWidner, Rise of a Party-State.
6. CitationBarkan and Chege, “Decentralising the State.”
7. CitationAnderson and Lochery, “Violence and Exodus,” 330.
8. CitationLynch, “Courting the Kalenjin.”
9. CitationKramon and Posner, “Kenya's New Constitution.”
10. CitationKramon and Posner, “Kenya's New Constitution.” p. 96.
12. CitationIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor.”
13. CitationThe Star, “Governor Aspirant Dr Nyoro.”
14. CitationIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor.”
15. Interview 2, July 2013.
16. CitationThe Star, “Of High Flying Politicians.”
17. CitationDaily Nation, “Revealed: US Dossier on Kenyan Drug-lords”; CitationThe Standard, “Marende Declines to Expunge MPs' Names.”
18. Interview 2, July 2013.
19. CitationThe Star, “Party Politics and Economy Revival.”
20. Interview 2, July 2013.
21. CitationThe Star, “Uhuru and TNA Consolidate.”
22. Interview 5, July 2013.
23. Interview 6, July 2013.
24. Interview 2, July 2013.
25. Interview 5, July 2013.
26. CitationThe Star, “Kiambu Can be Kenya's Singapore”; Citationk24 TV, Kiambu Gubernatorial Debate.
27. CitationCitizen TV, Kabogo, Nyoro Faceoff.
28. CitationThe Star, “Governor Aspirant Dr Nyoro.”
29. Citizen TV, Kabogo, Nyoro Faceoff.
30. Interview 2, July 2013.
31. CitationLynch, “Electing the ‘Alliance of the Accused.’”
32. CitationIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor”; CitationDaily Nation, “Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho Retains Seat.” The High Court has now dismissed a petition challenging the election of Joho to governor.
33. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor.”
34. CitationDaily Nation, “Revealed: US Dossier on Kenyan Drug-lords”; CitationThe Standard, “Marende Declines to Expunge MPs' Names.”
35. Interview 14, July 2013.
36. Interview 14, July 2013.
37. CitationNTV, Mombasa Governor's Debate.
38. Interview 14, July 2013.
39. Field Observation, Mombasa, March 1, 2013.
40. Interview 14, July 2013.
41. Interview 24, March, 2013.
42. Interviews 14 and 17, July 2013.
43. Interview 24, March, 2013.
44. Interview 19, July 2013.
45. Interview 14, July 2013.
46. Interview 19, July 2013.
47. Interview 19, July 2013.
48. Interview 16, July 2013.
49. Interview 19, July 2013
50. Interview 19, July 2013
51. CitationIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor”; CitationThe Star, “Kingi Salutes His Murdered Bodyguard.”
52. CitationMy News 24 Kenya, “Petition Challenging Amason Kingi Win Filed.”
53. CitationThe Standard, “Malindi High Court Upholds.”
54. CitationKatumanga, “Militarized Spaces.”
55. CitationWaki Commission, Commission of Inquiry into the Post Election Violence.
56. Interview 25, February, 2013.
57. Interview 25, February, 2013.
58. Interview 10, July 2013.
59. Interview 12, July 2013.
60. CitationThe Standard, “Mututho Trounced in TNA Nominations.”
61. CitationLynch, “Electing the ‘Alliance of the Accused.’”
62. CitationIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor.”
63. For this information there are only data on 44 counties. All former MPs are coded as being locally anchored in their county.
64. CitationBjarnegård, Gender, Informal Institutions and Political Recruitment.
65. CitationIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, “Summary of Results for Governor.”
66. Interview 17, July 2013.
67. Interview 2, July 2013.
68. Citationk24 TV, Kiambu Gubernatorial Debate.
69. Interview 2, July 2013.
70. CitationThe Star, “Nyoro, Nyanja Quit TNA.”
71. Interview 5, July 2013.
72. Interview 6, July 2013.
74. CitationDaily Nation, “Kilifi: Controversy as Kingi”; CitationThe Star, “UDF Members Vote.”
75. CitationThe Star, “Kilifi Aspirants Ditch Kingi.”
76. Interview 19, July 2013.
77. Another important aspect of the campaigns in Kilifi not discussed here is the pre-election violence. This is explored in much greater detail by CitationChome and Willis, “Marginalization and Political Participation” (in this issue) and by CitationChome, “Grassroots are Very Complicated.”
78. For example, interview 19, July 2013.
79. Interview 11, July 2013.
80. CitationDaily Nation, “Jubilee Risks Nakuru Backlash.”
81. CitationThe Star, “Nakuru the Dowry Uhuru.”
82. Interview 26, February 2013.
83. CitationDaily Nation, “Jubilee Risks Nakuru Backlash”; CitationThe Standard, “Election Deal between TNA and URP.”
84. Interview 13, July 2013
85. Interview 10, July 2013.
86. CitationDaily Nation, “Governors Threaten to Amend.”
87. CitationDaily Nation, “Governors Threaten to Amend.”; CitationDaily Nation, “Central Government is Subverting Devolution”; CitationThe Standard, “Amendments to Give National Government.”