To derive benefits from democracy, we must fix our parties first

World politics has evolved over time, and so has Kenya’s politics. At independence, there was a multiplicity of political parties, but Kanu and Kadu were the dominant ones; there were clear lines as to what each party stood for. Soon after independence in 1964, Kadu was dissolved. Kanu would then become the single party up to 1991.

It is worth noting that during that period, characterised by a strong party heavily tied to Government operations, GDP grew at an annual average of 6.6 per cent from 1963 to 1973 and 7.2 per cent during the 1970s. It is therefore correct to hypothesize that there is a positive correlation between strong political institutions and economic growth. We can postulate that Britain, with a long history of Tory and Labour politics, has been a world power in many ways. Britain has managed to influence the world’s legal systems, business and even culture.