Paying for Broken Promises

This research paper analyzes the political decline of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki following a failed constitutional referendum. It details how Kibaki transitioned from a reformist leader in 2002 to a figure accused of reviving ethnic cronyism, nepotism, and corruption, while failing to honor pre-election agreements and constitutional promises.

• President Mwai Kibaki failed to deliver on his primary campaign promise to adopt a new constitution within 100 days of taking office. Instead of adopting a draft that balanced power between a ceremonial presidency and an executive prime minister, he proposed a version that maintained power within the presidency.
• A constitutional referendum resulted in a significant defeat for President Kibaki, with 3.5 million people voting 'no' compared to 2.5 million voting 'yes'. Kibaki lost in seven of the eight provinces, winning only in his home province.
• Kibaki is accused of betraying the 15-party coalition that brought him to power, specifically by ignoring a pre-election Memorandum of Understanding with Raila Odinga's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This agreement stipulated that Odinga would be prime minister and that cabinet and senior posts would be shared equally between the National Alliance Party of Kenya (Nak) and the LDP.
• Despite early successes in providing free education and healthcare and removing corrupt officials, Kibaki's administration is described as having returned to ethnic cronyism and nepotism, with the president failing to act against corruption within his own government.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2005). Paying for Broken Promises. https://saiia.org.za/research/paying-for-broken-promises-2/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Paying for Broken Promises. 2005. https://saiia.org.za/research/paying-for-broken-promises-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Paying for Broken Promises |date=30 November 2005 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/paying-for-broken-promises-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2005paying, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Paying for Broken Promises}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2005}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/paying-for-broken-promises-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }