Deck 16: The Kenyan Political System

Question 1

Most African states have all of the following in common except:

A) most were colonies of other powers
B) most are in the northern hemisphere
C) most achieved independence after 1960
D) most are very rural with significant public health issues

Answer 1

most are in the northern hemisphere

Question 2

The various colonial powers that ruled Africa into the 20^th Century included all except:

A) Italy
B) France
C) Netherlands
D) Britain

Answer 2

Netherlands

Question 3

A challenge to national integration today is that African national borders were not set up to reflect national identification, but instead were established for

A) ethnic characteristics.
B) trade convenience of the colonial powers.
C) religious identity.
D) natural resource availability.

Answer 3

trade convenience of the colonial powers.

Question 4

The most recent nation to become independent in Africa, in July of 2011, is:

A) South Sudan
B) Chad
C) Zaire
D) Mauritania

Question 5

Britain's initial presence in Kenya was a result of Britain's interest in

A) the Nile River.
B) gold in East Africa.
C) growing tea and coffee.
D) blocking German colonial advances.

Question 6

For many years Kenya was run by and for British expatriates. Here "expatriate" means

A) British citizens who were residents of Kenya at the time.
B) British convicts who wanted to start a new life.
C) Kenyan citizens who were subject to British law, not Kenyan law.
D) Citizens of nations with which Britain had diplomatic relations.

Question 7

The Mau Mau were members of a secret society, made up of ethnic Kikuyu who

A) were worried about other Kenyan ethnic groups becoming too powerful.
B) wanted to expand their territorial control into Uganda and Zanzibar.
C) wanted closer ties with other European nations.
D) were unhappy with Kenya's colonial status and wanted Britain to leave.

Question 8

The several crises of political development experienced by all nations include all of the following except:

A) the crisis of identity
B) the crisis of conservation
C) the crisis of legitimacy
D) the crisis of integration

Question 9

When Kenya became independent in 1963, power was highly centralized and politics was dominated by one political party,

A) the National Democratic Union (NDU)
B) the Christian Socialist Party (CSP)
C) the Kenyan African National Union (KANU)
D) the United African Party (UAP)

Question 10

When Kenya first became self-governing in 1963 its head of state was:

A) the Queen
B) the President
C) the Prime Minister
D) the King

Question 11

A year after independence, in 1964, Kenya changed its constitution and

A) did away with a role for the Queen, and established an elected president.
B) added a third chamber to the national legislature.
C) changed its structure from a unitary state to a federal state.
D) became a one-party political system.

Question 12

The role of the president in Kenya has traditionally been

A) superficial and ceremonial.
B) dominant in the political system.
C) short-lived, with presidents holding power for short periods of time.
D) cooperative, with presidents working effectively with the legislature.

Question 13

In 1982 Kenya again changed its constitution, this time

A) bringing back the Queen as head of state.
B) becoming a one-party state.
C) requiring the president to be a tribal elder.
D) limiting legislators to two terms of office.

Question 14

The key change to Kenya's 1991 constitution involved

A) bringing back the Queen as head of state.
B) becoming a one-party state.
C) requiring the president to be a tribal elder.
D) a change back to having multi-party elections.

Question 15

Kenya's most recent constitution (2009) includes a new political structure, and

A) reinstating the Queen as head of state
B) adding a new Constitutional Court for Judicial Review
C) making some legislators appointive
D) bringing back a second house of the legislature

Question 16

Representation in the Kenyan Senate is based upon:

A) religion
B) gender
C) regions
D) age

Question 17

The term "majimbo" in Swahili, important in Kenyan politics, refers to:

A) ethnic identity
B) a federal-like power-sharing structure between the Center and regions
C) power-sharing between the president and the prime minister
D) international coexistence with neighboring nations

Question 18

The movement in support of "devolved government" in Kenya is concerned with

A) regional influence in national politics.
B) cities having more power than the national government.
C) ethnic groups having more power.
D) religious groups having more power.

Question 19

One of the major challenges to political stability in Kenya is its

A) lack of national resources or cash crops.
B) vulnerability to aggressive neighboring nations.
C) history of political violence and instability.
D) multiethnic makeup.

Question 20

The current "power sharing" arrangement in Kenya affects:

A) the president and the legislature
B) the president and the prime minister
C) the president and the supreme court
D) the president and the governors

Question 21

In Kenya today the president serves as head of state. The head of government role is played by

A) the president, too
B) the prime minister
C) the Queen
D) the governors

Question 22

The new National Assembly will have special structures to guarantee

A) representation for a significant number of women.
B) quick counting of ballots for the national legislative elections.
C) presidents represent different ethnic groups.
D) all regions share in government contracts.

Question 23

The new Senate of the Kenyan legislature will be based upon representation for:

A) ethnic groups
B) genders
C) counties
D) religious groups

Question 24

The institution of the Kadhi Court in Kenya is designed to respond to

A) political corruption.
B) distribution of economic resources.
C) conflicts between branches of the national legislature.
D) interests of Muslim Kenyans.

Question 25

One result of the December 2007 national elections was

A) the increase in power of the Supreme Court of Kenya.
B) widespread rioting and ethnic violence resulting in many deaths.
C) a legislature dominated by a single political party.
D) tension along Kenya's border with Uganda.

Question 26

Africa today has 73 independent states.

Question 27

Britain established its presence in East Africa in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Question 28

In the early years of British colonialism in Kenya, Kenyans were not allowed to vote or run for office.

Question 29

The historical British Commonwealth is today called the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Question 30

Kenya today is a federal republic.

Question 31

President Daniel arap Moi argued against Kenya becoming a one-party state.

Question 32

Kenya's national borders do not mirror traditional tribal and ethnic borders.

Question 33

Kenya's Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, has argued that ethnic conflict is a major source of concern in Kenya.

Question 34

In Kenya today the president serves as both head of state and head of government.

Question 35

The current (2011) National Assembly in Kenya is a bicameral legislature.

Question 36

Kadhi Courts are designed to deal with economic issues in Kenyan society.

Question 37

For many years Kenya functioned as a competitive single party state in elections.

Question 38

Kenya today has over forty major ethnic groups.

Question 39

In the new National Assembly, elections will be based upon inherited tribal seats.

Question 40

Kenyan presidents have five year terms of office, but can be reelected without limit.

Question 41

What is the relationship between ethnic tension and regional tension in Kenya today? Are they different names for the same thing?

Question 42

Compare Kenya's form of unitary government with other democratic unitary governments, including Britain and France. Is a unitary structure the most effective way for Kenya to operate, why or why not? What might other options include?

Question 43

Kenya has a strong president. How would you compare Kenya's president with executives we have seen in other systems, both presidential (e.g. Mexico) and parliamentary (e.g. France or Britain)? Does a strong president help Kenya to meet its challenges or does it hinder progress? Why?

Question 44

The kind of colonialism that existed in Kenya in the 19^th Century has virtually disappeared from the world. How might you argue that British colonialism helped to prepare Kenya for a stable democratic future? How would you argue that colonialism held Kenya back and caused problems for Kenya that were avoidable?

Question 45

Consider Kenya's experience with different political party systems. It has seen (and operated with) both one-party systems and multi-party systems. Which appeared to work most effectively? Why?