APRM • SECOND COUNTRY REVIEW REPORT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA CHAPTER TWO 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 Overview 30. Kenya is often portrayed as the bellwether and key anchor for democracy, development, stability and security for eastern Africa. Over time, this role perception has reflected and affected local realities and elicited global attention and responses in line with Kenya’s profile in the comity of nations. It is, therefore, not surprising that, in the context of a coincidence of national and regional thinking, Kenya has emerged the first African country to present itself for a second review under the APRM, reflecting its pioneer status as highlighted in Chapter One of this Report. 31. The full context to this Report comprises two phases in Kenya’s political history, and basic lessons and legacies from, viz: • The short but important period of the struggle to avoid, contain and surmount the political and post-election crises (2006-2007/early 2008), • Dovetailing into the period of constitutional, structural, and institutional reengineering to renew and consolidate Kenya’s status as a multi-party democratic state, from 2007 to the present. 32. The next section of this chapter, drawing in part on previous APRM documents, provides an overview of Kenya’s political developments, focusing on the period between 2006 and 2016. This is followed up by other sections on macroeconomic performance, challenges in the bid for good governance, and milestones in Kenya’s progress in this regard. 2.2. Political Developments 33. The background to the period under review 2006-2016 can be traced back to events after 1990, and constitutional and political reforms that took place then to address the challenges on the country’s path toward a settled democratic and developmental state. These reforms included the following: • Repeal in 1991 of the constitutional provisions making Kenya a de jure one party state; • Restoration of security of tenure for judges, the Attorney General, the Controller of Budget and Auditor General; and • Enacting in 1992 of provision for a maximum of two five-year terms for the President. | 63 |