Constitutional Realism In Kenya

That the referendum on the new constitution was voted upon so peacefully - only a few short years since my country was wracked by a violently disputed presidential election - is also worthy of celebration. By shunning violence, Kenyans demonstrated emphatically that we can settle our disputes peacefully.

Kenya's pursuit of a new constitution has been long and painful. When President Mwai Kibaki first ran for election in 2002, he promised that, if he won, his government would deliver a new constitution within 100 days of taking office.