The influence of executive-legislature Relations on Legislative Oversight in Kenya, 2008-2013

Abstract

Kenya has witnessed evolution in the Executive-Legislature relations starting from independence. Re-introduction of multi-party politics in 1990 witnessed an increasingly assertive and strong legislature ready to effectively check the Executive. The formation of grand coalition government in 2008 radically altered the executive-legislature relations which was occasioned by the absence of a formal opposition. Whereas many studies have focused on the grand coalition government, not much has been done on the influence of executive-legislature relations on legislative oversight between 2008-2013. It is on the basis of this scholarly gap that this study sought to examine how the Executive-Legislature relations influence legislative oversight in Kenya between 2008 and 2013. This study employs principal-agent and behaviorist theories to understand how executive-legislature relations influenced legislative oversight. The study relies on case study research design and employs interviews and conversations for data collection. The study finds that the executive-legislature relations between 2008-2013 was conflictual, which led to a strong legislative oversight. The study also found existence of cordial executive –legislature relations. The study also found that, conflictual executive-legislature relations contributed to political stability. This study documents, analyzes and provides insights on how executive-legislature relations influence legislative oversight in grand coalition governments using the case of Kenya 2008-2013. The study has made both policy and academic recommendations that will contribute to the general body of knowledge on the influence of executive-legislature relations in different political systems