KARIBU KENYA - UNON - the United Nations Office at Nairobi

CHAPTER 3: GOVERNMENT & INTERNATIONAL BODIES
Government & International
Organisations
The Government & Legal System
Since 1991, Kenya has followed a multi-party political system, with
more than 25 registered political parties.There are three arms of Government:
the Legislature, which enacts laws, the Executive, and the Judiciary, which acts
as an arbitrator. In 2003, the legislature comprised 210 elected and 12 nominated
members of parliament.There is universal suffrage for all citizens over
18, with elections every five years by secret ballot.
The administrative structure consists of centralised services from line
ministries, the provincial administration from the Office of the President, and
district level authorities providing local public services. The central government
comprises some 25 ministries, with various non-ministerial departments
overseeing policy formulation, immigration, the civil service, and the government’s
anti-corruption agenda.
Since the last election on December 27 th 2002, the country has been
led by President Mwai Kibaki, who won with a 63% landslide after 39 years
of KANU rule. Kibaki, who is both the chief of state and head of government,
appointed Moody Awori as vice president on September 25 th 2003.
As this booklet went to press, a lengthy constitutional review process had
yet to decide whether to create a Prime Ministerial post to run the government’s
business.
Kibaki’s National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government is focused
on resuscitating the beleaguered economy. NARC has also pledged its
commitment to decentralising developmental planning and implementation
to local authorities, while continuing KANU’s efforts to strengthen regional
trade and mediate processes to resolve conflicts in the Great Lakes region,
Somalia and Sudan.
The Kenyan legal system is composed of Acts of Parliament, principles of
Kenyan and English common law, and African customary laws. The Kenyan
Constitution recognises the diverse, heterogeneous nature of Kenyan society
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