The legacy of power sharing in Kenya: literature challenges and research agenda’s invisibilities

Abstract

Power sharing arrangements have been recurrent in the African continent since the end of the Cold War, particularly as a conflict resolution mechanism included in peace agreements. However, in both the democratic theory and conflict resolution strands of research, literature on power sharing is almost exclusively derived from an elite-based and/or institutionally-driven analysis, neglecting bottom-up approaches and dynamics and failing to deliver a more comprehensive analysis of the impact of power sharing. Highlighting the findings of fieldwork done in Kenya during the March 2013 elections, this chapter sheds light on the dynamics of power-sharing agreements in Kenya. It argues that the lack of dialogue between research and analytical agendas has been responsible for blind spots in the literature, which has been neglecting potentially influential actors and dynamics that could further the understanding of the limitations and potential consequences of power sharing arrangements.