Conclusion: Bringing Institutions Back into the Study of Kenya and Africa

The conclusion examines the Kenyan postcolony by focusing on the colonial origins of Kenya's political institutions and their impact in the postcolonial era, using the articles in this special issue as examples of that process. The reigning paradigm—neopatrimonialism—gives inadequate attention to institutions, limiting its ability to explain the relative stability and moderation of Kenya's authoritarian state. The article uses Migdal's concept of social control to understand key political institutions: the provincial administration, the electoral system, harambee, the Luo Union (and similar ethnic-based groups), and the recent mushrooming NGOs, such as human-rights groups. The last section argues that the institutions that evolved from Kenya's colonial experience in turn shaped the contours of Kenya's democratization process.