The National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) represented the opposition coalition that brought Mwai Kibaki to power in the 2002 election. The coalition united diverse opposition parties and figures around the common goal of defeating Daniel arap Moi's political machine, the KANU party. However, the coalition was united primarily against Moi and KANU rather than around a positive shared vision. Once Kibaki assumed the presidency, the coalition that had brought him to power quickly disintegrated. The failure of NARC to consolidate into an enduring governing coalition contributed to subsequent political fragmentation.
NARC was formed when various opposition parties recognized that their fragmentation among multiple candidates would enable KANU victory. The coalition included the Democratic Party (DP), led by Mwangi Waranyu, the National Alliance (NA), led by Raila Odinga, and other smaller parties. The coalition selected Kibaki as its presidential candidate, a choice that reflected his perceived capability to govern effectively and his status as a Kikuyu with capacity to mobilize Kikuyu voters while maintaining appeal to other groups. The coalition's campaign message emphasized anti-corruption, constitutional reform, and economic revitalization.
The coalition campaign proved highly effective. NARC defeated KANU decisively, with Kibaki winning 62 percent of the presidential vote, the strongest performance in Kenya's multiparty elections to that point. NARC also won a substantial parliamentary majority, controlling both the presidency and parliament. The coalition's victory suggested that Kenyans were prepared to support unity around reform, even if the coalition lacked detailed policy coherence.
However, the coalition began fragmenting immediately upon assuming power. Coalition partners had different expectations regarding the distribution of government positions, resource allocation, and policy priorities. Mwangi Waranyu and the DP faction expected significant cabinet positions and policy influence. Raila Odinga and the NA faction had similar expectations. Kibaki, having won the presidency, possessed control over cabinet appointments and could determine coalition composition. Tension emerged as Kibaki appointed ministers from his preferred factions while sidelining others.
The appointment of cabinet positions became the first mechanism through which NARC disintegrated. Ministers from the DP faction complained that they were marginalized. Ministers from the NA faction, including Raila Odinga who became a minister, found themselves in subordinate roles to Kikuyu ministers allied with Kibaki. The distribution of portfolio ministries reflected Kibaki's preference for ministers he could control rather than coalition partners he had to accommodate. The cabinet became an instrument of Kibaki's personal dominance rather than a mechanism for representing coalition partners.
Economic policies pursued by Kibaki's government reflected divisions within the coalition. Kibaki's economic team, informed by his background as Finance Minister, pursued market-oriented economic policies with support from Western donors. Some coalition partners advocated for more interventionist development policies or policies favoring their specific constituencies. These policy differences were sometimes accommodated through competing policy initiatives rather than through coherent coalition policy-making.
The constitutional reform failure in 2005 marked a critical moment in NARC's disintegration. Constitutional reform had been a key campaign pledge of the coalition. The government presented a constitutional draft for referendum approval, yet the draft was rejected. Kibaki's government had supported the draft, but opposition within the coalition and within Kikuyu community contributed to the rejection. The failure of constitutional reform could be attributed partly to coalition divisions regarding what constitutional provisions should be included.
Raila Odinga's marginalization within NARC and within Kibaki's government became increasingly apparent. Odinga, who had joined NARC expecting leadership roles, found himself subordinate to Kikuyu ministers in Kibaki's government. By 2005, Odinga had broken with NARC and was positioning himself for 2007 presidential competition against Kibaki. This split represented the symbolic end of the NARC coalition, even though the formal coalition structure persisted nominally.
The 2007 election featured competing NARC factions. Kibaki, representing one faction of NARC, competed for reelection. Raila Odinga and the ODM represented opposition to Kibaki. Other NARC partners competed separately or aligned with competing coalitions. The original coalition that had unified opposition to Moi had completely fragmented. The coalition that emerged was temporary and based on opposition to incumbents rather than on durable policy agreements or coalition structures.
NARC's failure to endure reflected both the coalition's initial lack of internal cohesion and the personalistic politics characterizing Kenya's multiparty democracy. Coalitions formed to win elections fragmented when the election was won and positions had to be distributed. Coalition partners, having united around defeating incumbents, proved incapable of maintaining unity when disagreements arose over policy and resource distribution. The pattern of coalition formation and fragmentation continued throughout Kenya's subsequent politics.
See Also
- Mwai Kibaki Presidency
- Kenya 2002 Election
- Raila Odinga
- Kenya Political Coalitions
- Kenya Party System
Sources
- Throup, David and Hornsby, Charles. "Multi-Party Politics in Kenya." Currey Publishers, 1998. https://www.jamescurrey.com
- Lynch, Gabrielle. "I Say to You: Ethnic Politics and the Kenyan Presidency." University of Chicago Press, 2011. https://www.press.uchicago.edu
- Mutua, Makau. "Kenya's Quest for Democracy: Taming Leviathan." Lynn Rienner Publishers, 2008. https://www.rienner.com