Prof. Joel D. Barkan presents a commentary on
Kenya’s foreign affairs syllabus reads in the Council of Foreign Relations hosted publication
Foreign Affairs. When I read the article
I noticed some glaring omissions and deliberate characterization of Kenya’s
history. First, to come to my eye was the division of Kenyan history into three
epochs.
Its [Kenya’s] history can be divided into three eras: the
late colonial period and the transition to independence in 1963; the
post-independent period from 1963 to 1990; and the country’s two-decade-plus
struggle since to become a modern democratic state. - Joel D. Barkan
In my opinion the post 1990’s period cannot be balked into
one set and as much as the Kenyan state has had its struggles in transforming
to become a modern democratic state. The new millennium should have merited an
era by itself so that in the least we had at least four eras. The most notable
and significant events in the Kenyan state have happened in the new millennium.
The most notable being the smooth transition of power in 2002 from the then
monolith KANU to the opposition party NARC. The election period and coming into
force of a coalition government in 2008 after a bundled general election in
2007 and almost eventual collapse of the state. Then there is the coming into
force of a new constitution in 2010 and challenges thereafter and problems
within the framework of the coalition. Throughout the period of 2008 to 2012
Kenya has had its fair share of influence and interventions by international
actors. Also, it’s during this period is when the ICC court came calling with
significant consequences in the long haul.
My second problem with Prof. Joel’s piece is his collection
of publications which he curates. The readers of this piece are typically non-Kenyans
and they might not have the local knowledge we possess and thus they might miss
some quintessential narratives. A good example is his analysis below that follow
the era one reads.
Like most African
countries, Kenya is a multiethnic society created by European colonialism.
Unlike most former colonies, though, its territory was extensively settled by
Europeans. That process resulted in a system of racial domination similar to
those that emerged in Zimbabwe and South Africa. - Joel D. Barkan
While it is true Kenya is a multiethnic society with its
fair share of problems tribalism being one of them. The settlement by Europeans
could be considered extensive however this settlement happened in the fertile
areas within the country. This resulted in the phrase ‘white highlands’ being
coined .
My bone of contention with Prof. Joel is in analyzing the
present day contemporary politics he did not branch out of academic circles to
explore modern day contemporary literature. Kwani?
Publications offer insights into the contemporary political landscape. Also, his
curated list lacks some African voices especially the pre-independence era. Facing Mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta is a
book he ought to have considered for inclusion plus Not Yet Uhuru by Jaramogi Oginga for the second era.
In the same breath I must say I agree with most of the assertions
presented in the article especially concerning few publications covering the
present day contemporary politics.
Regrettably -- and
somewhat surprisingly -- no concise overviews of contemporary Kenyan politics
have been published in recent years. - Joel
D. Barkan
Perhaps this could be explained by the mere fact that unlike
the West where there are foundations which support such endeavors. Plus, universities
which have a strict tenure system where a professor’s tenure is based on the
number of publications and research projects they have done. In Kenya there are
very few foundations which engage in supporting universities to conduct and
publish this kind of research. This has lead to a phenomenon where you have
researchers from the north jetting in to southern countries and conducting
research funded by foundations from the northern.
