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Why Uhuru’s state of the nation speech was a whimper, not a roar

President Uhuru Kenyatta with the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai after signing of the Leadership and Integrity Code and the Accountability Pledge at State House, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Kenyan heads of state have held untrammeled power – until now. Jubilee’s Uhuru Kenyatta, also known as the scion of the Burning Spear, is the first Kenyan CEO to have his powers severely clipped. But Mr Kenyatta’s relative powerlessness isn’t a result of the 2010 Constitution. Nyet – the culture of the imperial presidency, which Kenyatta can effortlessly harness, hasn’t fled to Sweden.

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