This archive report was first published on 8 July 2021.
Published in 2021, Charles Hornsby's book, Kenya: A History Since Independence, is a thought-provoking analysis of Kenya's post-independence history. As a renowned expert on Kenyan politics, Hornsby's work is not just a historical account, but a critique of the country's failure to achieve adequate living conditions for its citizens.
Since independence from Great Britain in 1963, Kenya has survived as a functioning nation-state, but its governments have consistently failed to address the country's deep-seated issues, including violence, corruption, and tribalism. Hornsby's book highlights the gap between 'the Kenya we have' and 'the Kenya we want,' a divide that has been a central theme in Kenya's popular debate and critique.
One of the book's key strengths is its attention to the 'deep politics' of Kenya, which Hornsby defines as the meshing of underlying social and moral imperatives with the 'high politics' of government and the 'low politics' of attracting popular support. This approach provides a nuanced understanding of the complex forces shaping Kenya's recent past.
Land is a particularly emotive issue in Kenya, and Hornsby's book touches on the endemic corruption that has often threatened the country's security and stability. According to Hornsby, Kenya is a 'brittle' rather than a 'stable' state, a characterization that is linked to a certain nervousness about change, lest it should shatter the very structures through which government is carried out.
Despite the new constitution promulgated in 2010, Kenya remains a country ruled with a colonial mindset, where the common man, especially the Indigenous Kenyan, does not matter. The state is set up to protect outside interests rather than those of natives, a situation that is despicable.
Charles Hornsby holds a D.Phil. on Kenyan politics from St Antony's College, Oxford, and has combined a professional career in information technology with a deep engagement with Kenya. He is the co-author (with David Throup) of Multi-Party Politics in Kenya (1998).
