Constitution of Kenya (1963)

Kenya

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The 1963 Constitution of Kenya was drawn up at independence. This constitution, heavily indebted to English law, had already been amended more than 30 times by 2010, but was widely agreed to require a major overhaul. The constitution gave the president wide-ranging powers, provided for no prime minister, and was ill-suited to multiparty politics, despite the 1991 repeal of a section that had formalized the one-party state.^[1]

The political system was in flux as contentious debate continued on efforts to adopt a new constitution. A popular referendum in 2005 defeated a proposed constitution supported by the government. Key proposals in the defeated draft constitution called for reducing the powers vested in the office of the president, providing for a prime minister, and ensuring the independence of the judiciary.^[1]

A new constitution was drawn up in 2009 and 2010 and was voted on August 4, 2010. The vote was part of a deal after violence in 2007.^[2] It will mean that to win the Presidency you need 50% of the vote and more than 25% of the vote in more than half the electoral areas - which should mean that candidates have to appeal to the whole population rather than individual ethnic groups. Additionally the new constitution includes significant reform to the judiciary.^[3] This Constitution was approved by a 67% margin.^[4]

See also

• Constitution of Kenya, 2010
• Constitutional Reforms in Kenya
• Kenyan constitutional referendum, 2005

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Country Profile: Kenya (PDF). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (June 2007). Accessed 2010-07-23.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. ^ "Kenya holds referendum as part of political peace deal". BBC. 4 August 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10856761. Retrieved 4 August 2010. 
3. ^ "A chance to improve how Kenya is run". The Economist. 29 July 2010. http://www.economist.com/node/16703331?story_id=16703331. Retrieved 4 August 2010. 
4. ^ "New Kenyan Constitution Ratified". Voice of America. 6 Aug 2010. http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenyas-New-Constitution-Ratified-100158209.html. Retrieved 6 August 2010. 

External links

The Constitution of Kenya The New Constitution of Kenya