Kenya’s recent history reads like a Shakespearian tale, full of dramatic intrigue, intricate conspiracies and king-making plots. The political scene has been dominated by two figures in particular – Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s inaugural President, and Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, who was Kenyatta’s successor as President. Kenyatta and Moi ruled over Kenya with an iron fist for four decades, from independence in 1963 until 2002. Following promising pluralistic beginnings, Kenyatta and Moi used all the tools at their disposal to consolidate power and marginalize political opponents. Kenyatta pursued policies that turned Kenya into a de facto one-party state under the control of the Kenya African National Union (KANU). Moi went a step further, by passing a law that made Kenya a de jure one-party state. Political rivals therefore had to join KANU or risk being imprisoned and/or murdered for dissent. Nevertheless, throughout these tumultuous times, brave individuals and groups continued to struggle, at considerable personal cost, to turn Kenya into a multi-party democracy.
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