Description: Kenya's Independence Constitution, by Robert M. Maxon, details the evolution of Kenya's constitution during the final stage of decolonization. Starting with the close of the first Lancaster House conference of 1960, Maxon illuminates the many influences that shaped Kenya's constitution-making. It concludes in 1963, coinciding with the end of empire, when political ethnicity dominated discourse. While the self-government constitution provided for majimbo, or federal constitution, the winning party in the 1963 elections changed the constitution such that federalism's life expectancy was brief.
Review Quotes:
"Robert Maxon, a highly respected historian of Kenya, provides a detailed account of the complicated negotiation processes which led to the finalization of Kenya's independence constitution.
He has provided what is undoubtedly a magisterial and highly authoritative account of Kenya's tumultuous independence process which will provide the major point of reference on the subject for many years ahead." --Journal of Contemporary African Studies