Les parlements du peuple au Kenya: débat public et participation politique à Eldoret et Nairobi

Despite the adoption of a new constitution in 2010, the post-election violence surrounding the flawed 2007 General Elections have fuelled on-going debates in Kenya about a state of political crisis and fragile democracy. Comparing two street parliaments from Eldoret and Nairobi in the context of electoral failure and constitutional reform, this paper investigates dynamics of political participation from below. The street parliaments form arenas for oral debates where speakers and participants collectively engage in the intentional shaping of spaces of speech. Inspired by the work of Karin Barber, the paper uses her notions of “audiences” and “publics” as a lens for understanding debate and political participation in this particular context.