Kenya

Kenya’s National Assembly or “Parliament” is arguably one of the two most significant national legislatures on the African continent. It is the most independent in terms of the degree of formal and real autonomy it enjoys from the executive branch. It is also a popular body. In survey conducted by the Gallup organization in June 2008, 67 percent of Kenyans approved of the operations of the House (Gallup 2008).

This report presents the “first findings” from the African Legislatures Project or ALP. The report is based on the preliminary coding and analysis of data obtained from research in six countries—Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa (MP survey findings from South Africa are not presented as that element of the project is still in progress). Because the purpose of ALP is to achieve a comparative understanding of legislative institutions across Africa, and is funded from multiple sources, we have adopted the practice of including data from as many countries as possible when we present findings from the project. Field research for ALP began in late February 2008 and is expected to continue through the end of 2010 as the work proceeds seriatim in 18 African countries.

Chapter in Barkan, J.D. (Ed.). 2009. Legislative Power in Emerging African Democracies. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

A puzzle underpins this groundbreaking study of legislative development in Africa: Why are variations in the extent of legislative authority and performance across the continent only partially related, if at all, to the overall level of democratization? And if democratization is not the prime determinant of legislative authority, what is? Exploring the constraints that have retarded the development and power of legislatures across Africa—and how members of some legislatures are breaking free of those constraints—the authors shed new light on the impact of the legislative branch on the political process in six emerging African democracies.