1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910781587403321

Autore

Branch Daniel <1978->

Titolo

Kenya [[electronic resource] ] : between hope and despair, 1963-2011 / / Daniel Branch

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven, : Yale University Press, 2011

ISBN

1-283-33180-2

9786613331809

0-300-18064-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (352 p.)

Disciplina

967.6204

Soggetti

Social history

Kenya Politics and government 1963-1978

Kenya Politics and government 1978-2002

Kenya Politics and government 2002-

Kenya Social conditions 1963-

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- List of illustrations -- Acknowledgement -- Acronyms and abbreviations -- Note on orthography -- Introduction: The Party -- 1. Freedom and Suffering, 1963-69 -- 2. The Big Man, 1968-69 -- 3. The Fallen Angel, 1970-75 -- 4. Footsteps, 1975-82 -- 5. Love, Peace and Unity, 1982-88 -- 6. The War of Arrows, 1989-94 -- 7. The Goldenberg Years, 1993-2002 -- 8. Nothing Actually Really Changed, 2002-11 -- Conclusion: The Leopards and the Goats -- Bibliography -- Notes -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

On December 12, 1963, people across Kenya joyfully celebrated independence from British colonial rule, anticipating a bright future of prosperity and social justice. As the nation approaches the fiftieth anniversary of its independence, however, the people's dream remains elusive. During its first five decades Kenya has experienced assassinations, riots, coup attempts, ethnic violence, and political corruption. The ranks of the disaffected, the unemployed, and the poor have multiplied. In this authoritative and insightful account of Kenya's history from 1963 to the present day, Daniel Branch sheds new light on



the nation's struggles and the complicated causes behind them.Branch describes how Kenya constructed itself as a state and how ethnicity has proved a powerful force in national politics from the start, as have disorder and violence. He explores such divisive political issues as the needs of the landless poor, international relations with Britain and with the Cold War superpowers, and the direction of economic development. Tracing an escalation of government corruption over time, the author brings his discussion to the present, paying particular attention to the rigged election of 2007, the subsequent compromise government, and Kenya's prospects as a still-evolving independent state.