Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the historical conditions in Kenya, touching on the pre-colonial societies and their relations with each other, and the structure of the local governments that existed before the colonial rule. It discusses the beginnings of consolidation of democracy around Africa and particularly in Kenya. The book examines the coming storm: the elections of 2007, the campaigns thereof and the reformulation of the alliances based on ethnic identities. It discusses whether consociational democracy might be a more useful way to organize Kenya's politics, considering the failure of liberal democracy in ethnically divided states. The book reviews the key events in Kenya's history, the problems of conflict, the numbers of people affected by the conflict, the numbers of people affected by the conflict, and whether Kenya's political violence is especially outstanding, notwithstanding the foregoing discussions.