Book in Focus: Baltic Postcolonial Narratives: Literature and Power

For our newest book in focus we are joined by Dr Almantas Samalavi?ius to discuss his newest work 'Baltic Postcolonial Narratives: Literature and Power '.

Beginning in the early 1990’s, a re-democratization movement began to sweep across the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, many of which have turned into autocratic, authoritarian and dictatorial political regimes. This second “wind of change” was heralded as the triumph of democracy – indeed, as Francis Fukuyama declared enthusiastically, the end of history.

However, even though African countries adopted a turn to multi-party competitive politics, more regular and open national elections, and two-term limits on African presidents, presidential power remained unaltered. In Kenya, for example, the colonial government constructed a powerful executive branch, led by the governor. He had a provincial administration which reached down from his office to grassroots Kenya, which was supported by the creation of a separate police force known as the Administration Police (AP). This force would ensure the full implementation of every directive from the governor without question. Following the attaining of independence, the new leader, then-Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta would move quickly to create a presidential role, which would be filled by someone who would act as head of government and head of state.? This new executive office retained the powerful provincial administration whose officers would be presidential appointees who would report directly to the president on every issue, development and challenge in rural and urban Kenya. These officers had the advantage of unchallenged power based on the common expression, “orders from above”. This structure of administration became the foundation of the continuing imperial presidency in Kenya. Successive Kenyan presidents – Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki – all anchored their power on the provincial administration.

Even the new Kenyan Constitution, created in 2010, which introduced a devolved system of government of the county level and called for the end of the provincial administration, could not shake the determination of President Kibaki to retain his administrative chain of command. This institution, plus the power of the president to shape the political careers and economic advance of his appointed ministers and assistant ministers, continued, despite democratic renewal and reform.

Early in the second term of President Uhuru Kenyatta, the fourth president, his Deputy President, William Ruto, began an early presidential campaign for 2022. Kenyatta had to step down in 2022 due to the two-term limit. Up until 2017, his succession seemed seamless as he had earlier agreed to support Ruto in the 2022 and 2027 presidential elections, just as Ruto had done in mobilizing his Kalenjin community to support Kenyatta in both the 2013 and 2017 elections. The actions of the Deputy President incensed Kenyatta. He became determined to direct the succession towards his preferred candidate and deny William Ruto the presidency.

This book analyzes the evolution of the succession struggle from March 2018 through to the August 2022 presidential election and beyond into 2023. Drawing on the highly developed electronic media in Kenya, the book’s analysis focuses on the speeches, interviews, statements, and press conferences of the major political actors and their loyal allies. The book’s analysis also features the numerous roadside rallies held by the contending candidates for the presidency. Often, these rallies were spontaneous events whereby a candidate would stop in a market center, a bus or matatu stop or a school ground. ?The candidate would then stand up in an SUV and, with a microphone, address the sudden gathering of Kenyans through the open sunroof. Other times, a candidate’s schedule would be publicized beforehand, naming the centers where a roadside rally would occur. Television stations, whether regional or national, would provide full video coverage of the event. Hence, it was possible for the author to follow the campaigns very closely as they evolved.

Critically, the book reveals the wide range of tools available to an imperial president, enabling him to impose his will. By analyzing the campaign over an extended period, we can now understand why the democratic “wind of change” can be highly problematic in an African regime.

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