Kenyaportal |
This is a list of the heads of state of Kenya, from the independence of Kenya in 1963 to the present day.
From 1963 to 1964 the head of state under the Constitution of 1963 was the queen of Kenya, Elizabeth II, who was also the queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The monarch was represented in Kenya by a governor-general. Kenya became a republic within the Commonwealth under a 1964 constitutional amendment and the monarch, governor-general and prime minister were replaced by an executive president.
The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Royal House | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||||
1 | Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 12 December 1963 | 12 December 1964 | 1 year | Windsor | Kenyatta |
The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Kenya and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The governor-general was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. Since Kenya was granted independence by the Kenya Independence Act 1963, rather than being first established as a semi-autonomous dominion and later promoted to independence as defined by the Statute of Westminster 1931, the governor-general was to be always appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Kenya without the involvement of the British government. As Kenya became a republic before Malcolm MacDonald, the former colonial governor, was replaced, this has never happened. In the event of a vacancy the chief justice would have served as the officer administering the government.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | Prime minister | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | Malcolm MacDonald (1901–1981) | 12 December 1963 | 12 December 1964 | 1 year | Elizabeth II | Kenyatta |
Under the 1964 Constitutional Amendment establishing the Republic of Kenya, the president replaced the monarch as head of state and the prime minister as chief executive. The president was initially elected by the House of Representatives of Kenya, and, after the merger of the House of Representatives and Senate into a unicameral National Assembly, by the National Assembly, for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the vice-president would have served as acting president for 90 days until new elections were held.
Following the enactment of the 1969 Constitution of Kenya, the system of election by the National Assembly was replaced by direct elections under a first-past-the-post system, yet true separation of powers was still not established; the president had to also be elected as an MP and he had to appoint ministers from among MPs, the president was still able to dissolve the National Assembly, and the Assembly was still able to declare no confidence in the ministers. Not only that, but until the first multiparty elections in 1992, only one candidate - that of the Kenya African National Union - was nominated and automatically declared winner of the elections without voting actually being held.
With the enactment of the 2010 Constitution, Kenya's current, the first-past-the-post system was replaced in presidential elections in favor of a two-round system, the post of vice-president was renamed deputy president and was made to automatically succeed to the presidency in case of a vacancy for the remainder of the term in a full, not merely acting, capacity, and the requirement of the president, DP, and ministers to also be MPs was abolished, finally establishing separation of powers between the executive and legislature.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Deputy President | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
1 | Jomo Kenyatta (1897–1978) | — | 12 December 1964 | 22 August 1978 † | 13 years, 253 days | Kenya African National Union | Jaramogi Oginga Odinga | ||
Joseph Murumbi | |||||||||
Daniel arap Moi | |||||||||
1969 | |||||||||
1974 | |||||||||
2 | Daniel arap Moi (1924–2020) | — | 22 August 1978 | 8 November 1978 | 24 years, 130 days | ||||
1978 | 8 November 1978 | 30 December 2002 | Mwai Kibaki | ||||||
1979 | |||||||||
1983 | |||||||||
1988 | Josephat Karanja | ||||||||
George Saitoti | |||||||||
1992 | |||||||||
1997 | |||||||||
Vacant | |||||||||
George Saitoti | |||||||||
Musalia Mudavadi | |||||||||
3 | Mwai Kibaki (1931–2022) | 2002 | 30 December 2002 | 16 September 2007 | 10 years, 100 days | National Rainbow Coalition | |||
Michael Kijana Wamalwa | |||||||||
Moody Awori | |||||||||
2007 | 16 September 2007 | 9 April 2013 | Party of National Unity | ||||||
Kalonzo Musyoka | |||||||||
4 | Uhuru Kenyatta (born 1961) | 2013 | 9 April 2013 | 7 September 2016 | 9 years, 157 days | The National Alliance | William arap Ruto | ||
2017 | 7 September 2016 | 13 September 2022 | Jubilee Party | ||||||
5 | William arap Ruto (born 1966) | 2022 | 13 September 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year, 180 days | United Democratic Alliance | Rigathi Gachagua |
The politics of Kenya take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system in accordance with a new constitution passed in 2010.
The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 1944 but due to pressure from the colonial government, KAU changed its name to Kenya African Study Union (KASU) mainly because all political parties were banned in 1939 following the start of the Second World War. In 1946 KASU rebranded itself into KAU following the resignation of Harry Thuku as president due to internal differences between the moderates who wanted peaceful negotiations and the militants who wanted to use force, the latter forming the Aanake a forty, which later became the Mau Mau. His post was then occupied by James Gichuru, who stepped down for Jomo Kenyatta in 1947 as president of KAU. The KAU was banned by the colonial government from 1952 to 1960. It was re-established by James Gichuru in 1960 and renamed KANU on 14 May 1960 after a merger with Tom Mboya's Kenya Independence Movement.
The president of the Republic of Kenya is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya. The president is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. The country's current president is William Ruto since 13 September 2022.
The president of Guyana is the head of state and the head of government of Guyana, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic, according to the Constitution of Guyana. The president is also the chancellor of the Orders of Guyana. Concurrent with their constitutional role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the president does not appoint a separate Minister of Defence. That portfolio is held by the president who fulfils all responsibilities designated to a minister of defence under the Defence Act.
Elections in Kenya take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President, Senate and National Assembly are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The Government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK) is the national government of the Republic of Kenya, a federal republic located in East Africa, composed of 47 Counties, each county with its own semi-autonomous governments, including the national capital of Nairobi, where the national government is primarily based.
Kenya's 1963 Constitution, also called the Independence Constitution, was based on the standard "Lancaster House template" used for the former British colonies in Africa, was subject to early amendments, and was replaced in 1969.
Since Kenya gained independence in 1963, the constitution has been altered many times. During the early years of Kenya's existence, the constitution was abused by the president and the ruling party to gain and consolidate power. This was achieved through the creation of a single-party state, the abolition of secret ballots, and increasing the power and prestige that comes with the presidential position.