Navigating Coalition Politics in Kenya: A Historical Journey Since 1945

Kennedy Wakhungu Maasi
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Kennedy Wakhungu Maasi: Department of Social Sciences, Kibabii University, Kenya,

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 1, 4814-4829

Abstract: Kenya is among the global nations where formation of political coalitions has molded her socio-economic and political development. The period preceding and after independence in 1963 have seen Kenya experience shifting political setting denoted by various political coalitions. Employing the theory of political coalition and historical research design, the study traces the evolution of coalition politics in Kenya. The results reveal that the ground for formation of political coalitions in Kenya was laid by pre-independence movements traced back as early as the period before 1945 where pre-independence movements emerged to have joint struggle against oppressive colonial regime. The period between 1963 and 1990 saw Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi who were presidents embrace authoritarian affinities and suppressing any dissenting opinion. Pressure groups and civic organizations exerted pressure and with the backing of donor nations saw multiparty politics in 1991.This led to mushrooming of many political parties, a situation that saw opposition parties loose to Daniel Moi in 1992. The opposition parties united in 2002 under NARC, albeit without a structure to guide their operations. The 2010 New Constitution elicited operational changes, underscoring policy-oriented coalition structure that guides the formation and operation of political coalitions in Kenya to date. Reasons such as ethnic diversity and electoral arrangements molded coalition undercurrents. The study concludes that political coalitions have played an important role in influencing the setting of Kenyan politics, influencing governance, social dynamics, and economic policies.

Date: 2025
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