Reports
Discussion Papers
No.381 Kenya after the 2007 “Post-Election Violence”: Constitutional Reform and the National Accord and Reconciliation Act
by TSUDA Miwa
January 2013
ABSTRACT
Immediately
after
the
announcement
of
the
re-election
of
President
Kibaki
on
the
evening
of
30
December
2007,
Kenya
was
thrust
into
the
worst
civil
unrest
experienced
by
the
country
since
independence
–
a
development
that
became
known
as
the
“Post-Election
Violence”
(PEV).
However,
after
a
subsequent
process
of
reconciliation,
the
PEV
came
to
an
end
within
a
relatively
short
period.
The
present-day
politics
of
Kenya
are
being
conducted
within
the
framework
of
a
provisional
Constitution
that
took
shape
through
peaceful
mediation.
How
did
Kenya
manage
to
put
a
lid
on
a
period
of
turmoil
that
placed
the
country
in
unprecedented
danger?
This
paper
traces
the
sequence
of
events
that
led
to
mediation,
explains
the
emergency
measures
that
were
needed
to
maintain
law
and
order,
and
indicates
the
remaining
problems
that
still
need
to
be
solved.
Keywords:
Kenya;
violence;
ethnicity;
2007
election:
power
sharing;
constitutional
reform
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.