21st century
Kenya
The 2002 Kenyan presidential election ended Daniel arap Moi’s twenty-four-year presidency and KANU’s four decades of dominance. Mwai Kibaki, the presidential candidate of the National Rainbow Coalition, won a landslide victory in December 2002. The result generated widespread public hope while leaving the new government with severe problems of poverty, corruption, deteriorating infrastructure, insecurity, drought, and weak public services.
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The Story
Kenya’s December 2002 election marked a decisive political transition. Mwai Kibaki, standing as the presidential candidate of the National Rainbow Coalition, won a landslide victory over the ruling order associated with Daniel arap Moi and KANU. The chronology describes the outcome as ending Moi’s twenty-four-year rule and KANU’s four decades in power.
The result produced an extraordinary public display of relief and optimism. Crowds cheered and danced in the streets, while rural farming communities and Nairobi residents described the end of Moi’s rule as the most important turning point in the nation’s history. For people living on very low incomes and without electricity or running water, the election created expectations of rapid improvement.
Kibaki’s government nevertheless inherited a badly damaged economy and deeply entrenched administrative problems. Its coalition had been assembled largely from former KANU politicians and factions united by opposition to Moi, creating uncertainty about whether it could remain cohesive. The new administration’s anticorruption plans, education reforms, and search for international financial assistance were therefore immediately tested by limited resources and competing political interests.
21st century
Kenya
The 2002 Kenyan presidential election ended Daniel arap Moi’s twenty-four-year presidency and KANU’s four decades of dominance. Mwai Kibaki, the presidential candidate of the National Rainbow Coalition, won a landslide victory in December 2002. The result generated widespread public hope while leaving the new government with severe problems of poverty, corruption, deteriorating infrastructure, insecurity, drought, and weak public services.
Continue exploring
The Story
Kenya’s December 2002 election marked a decisive political transition. Mwai Kibaki, standing as the presidential candidate of the National Rainbow Coalition, won a landslide victory over the ruling order associated with Daniel arap Moi and KANU. The chronology describes the outcome as ending Moi’s twenty-four-year rule and KANU’s four decades in power.
The result produced an extraordinary public display of relief and optimism. Crowds cheered and danced in the streets, while rural farming communities and Nairobi residents described the end of Moi’s rule as the most important turning point in the nation’s history. For people living on very low incomes and without electricity or running water, the election created expectations of rapid improvement.
Kibaki’s government nevertheless inherited a badly damaged economy and deeply entrenched administrative problems. Its coalition had been assembled largely from former KANU politicians and factions united by opposition to Moi, creating uncertainty about whether it could remain cohesive. The new administration’s anticorruption plans, education reforms, and search for international financial assistance were therefore immediately tested by limited resources and competing political interests.
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