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Lessons for Kenya from Senegal's political earthquake

Senegal’s former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, whose rise reflected growing youth frustration and calls for political change across West Africa.[AFP]

For decades, West Africa has carried the burden of political instability like a recurring curse. From Mali to Burkina Faso, Guinea to Niger, military coups have repeatedly dismantled constitutional order under the familiar justification of fighting corruption, foreign influence and elite failure.

Yet amid this turbulence, Senegal remained a remarkable exception. Since independence in 1960, Senegal has never experienced a successful military coup. While many neighbouring states oscillated between fragile democracies and military rule, Senegal cultivated a political culture built upon institutional continuity, constitutionalism and national cohesion.

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