De Serra Leoa à África do Sul, pedidos para abertura de processo, busca de verdade, reparações e reforma institucional são cada vez mais comuns à medida que os países procuram tratar dos abusos dos direitos humanos. Embora se acredite que as medidas de justiça transicional (justiça em tempos de transição) podem contribuir para o fim da impunidade e para promover a reconciliação, a eficácia de tais intervenções parece depender muito da capacidade das instituições do Estado, nos níveis administrativo, judicial, político e de segurança. Nos países africanos, apesar de realidades como a deficiência institucional, a precariedade do governo e a pobreza, as medidas de justiça transicional continuam despertando grandes expectativas. Este artigo examina os obstáculos que vêm sendo constatados em diversos países da África, e sugere que sejam alimentadas expectativas mais modestas.
Nevertheless, some minor errors can be detected in the book. On page , Branch writes: '.. . [Mboya] had himself been born into just such a family [Luo migrant], at their home close to the settler town of Thika in present-day Eastern Province.' Thika is actually in Central Province, less than minutes from Nairobi by car, while Mboya was born in Kilimambogo in Eastern Province. Similarly, on page he writes: 'A Tugen, one of the many smaller ethnic groups that, since , had steadily amalgamated with the larger Kalenjin community.' The Kalenjin are not one community but actually an amalgamation of many different communities including the Nandi, Kipsigis, Tugen, Sabaot, Marakwet, Elgeyo, etc. Furthermore, the argument that nothing really changed in Kenya between and (pp. -) is contestable. Sections of the political elite may have sought continuity with the modus operandi of the previous regimes, but this was met with successful resistance by a section of the political elite and Kenyans generally. The fallout between the Odinga-led brigade and Kibaki and his cohorts over the constitutional referendum of was a watershed development that facilitated the drafting of a constitution more in line with Kenyans' aspirations. The promulgation of this constitution in August heralded a new political dispensation that has seen even the president held to account and stopped in his tracks on a number of decisions both by the judiciary and the legislature. In other words, much has changed since . All in all, Daniel Branch's book is a refreshing addition to the burgeoning literature on Kenya's political history. It is very well written and should be read by all those interested in the country's history, politics and development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.