The State and Sexual Politics: An Analysis of Abortion Discourses in Kenya

381 Pages·2013·2.29 MB·English

by  Mosha, Ernesta

http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/

Research Commons at the University of Waikato

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thesis.
The State and Sexual Politics: An Analysis of Abortion
Discourses in Kenya
A thesis
submitted in fulfilment
of the requirements for the degree
of
Doctor of Philosophy
at
The University of Waikato
by
JANE WAMBUI NJAGI

2013
ii
Abstract
Unsafe abortion, an issue that leads to over 2,000 deaths and health complications
for more than 21,000 women annually in Kenya, remains largely unaddressed by
the Kenyan state. Despite the significant public importance of abortion, there has
been little or no scholarly attention directed at the role of the state in shaping
sexual politics through its regulation of abortion. In this thesis, I undertake a
feminist analysis of the Kenyan state to explore how the state, through its policy
regime, shapes sexual politics.
I argue that Western-based feminist theorisations of the state, although useful, do
not fully account for the Kenyan state‟s treatment of the issue of abortion.
Consequently, I draw on the range of scholarship in feminist theorisations of the
state and in African politics to develop the Critical African Feminist Perspective
on the state. Using this perspective, I undertake a discourse analysis of archival
material, policy texts, and interviews with key actors in abortion politics. The
analysis of the state over three phases – colonial, dictatorial, and democratic –
reveals the neo-patrimonial character of the state, resulting in policies and
practices that systematically ignore or marginalise issues affecting women.
This study demonstrates that across consecutive governments, the Kenyan
political elite, in an attempt to consolidate political power and popularity in the
face of low levels of legitimacy and complex tribal politics, has deployed a tactic
of “strategic ambivalence”, wherein the law criminalising abortion has been
sustained but not enforced. State efforts have therefore been directed at presenting
a positive image of itself to both pro- and anti-abortion actors, rather than
substantively tackling the problem of unsafe abortion.
The study establishes that although neoliberalism, capitalism and patriarchy play
significant roles, neo-patrimonial politics is the key impediment to creating
policies and institutions that will ensure Kenyan women‟s access to safe
abortions. I note that although Kenya‟s new Constitution guarantees women better
access to legal abortion, it has not conclusively addressed neo-patrimonialism,
which is therefore likely to continue to have negative implications for sexual
politics and issues of gender equality in general.
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iv
Acknowledgements
This was a long journey, full of pain and pleasure. I had companions, walking
with me, holding my hand, opening my eyes, clearing my way. I would like to
express gratitude to the following people, without whom this research would not
have been possible:
 Auckland Medical Aid Trust (AMAT) for funding this study. Without the
Trust‟s financial support, this research would not have got off the ground.
 My chief supervisor, Associate Professor Priya Kurian. I express heartfelt
thanks for your advice and advocacy.
 My supervisors Dr. Carolyn Michelle, and Dr. Rachel Simon-Kumar.
Your collective wisdom nurtured my growth as a researcher and enabled
the success of this study.
 My children Njau and Nyakairu: They followed me to New Zealand and
had to put up with lack of maternal attention while I was studying. Njau, a
big hug for taking care of your sister in my absence.
 My family: I am indebted to my sisters and brothers for their endless
support and prayers. Specifically, I thank my sister Ruguru, for travelling
to New Zealand to watch over my children while I conducted my
fieldwork in Kenya.
 Jim and Helen Findlay: I appreciate the love, care, and support that they
have shown to me and my children during the course on my study.
 My friends and colleagues: I thank Ernesta, Nyamaamaa, Nwosu, Kunle,
Maloba, Iribe, Alex, Dassia and Chandra, for the good times that we
shared.
 Collegues and friends in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and in the
Department of Political Science & Public Policy: I am indebted to you for
the assistance and cooperation that I received.
This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Mary Wanja and Charles Njagi; they are
the role models of my life.
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Table of Contents

Abstract ................................................................................................................. iii
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ v
Table of Contents ................................................................................................ vii
List of Figures and Tables .................................................................................... x
Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
1.0. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Background of the Study ......................................................................................... 2
1.2. The Legal Context of Abortion in Kenya ................................................................ 5
1.3. The State and Sexual Politics ................................................................................... 8
1.4. Post-Independence Kenya: An Overview of Political Regimes .............................. 9
1.5. Research Questions ................................................................................................ 12
1.6. Discourse, Policy and Gender ................................................................................ 14
1.7. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 14
1.8. Chapter Outline ...................................................................................................... 15
Chapter Two ........................................................................................................ 19
Accounting for the State in Abortion Politics ................................................... 19
2.0. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 19
2.1. Feminist Theories of the State ............................................................................... 21
2.1.1. Liberal Feminism and the State ...................................................................... 21
2.1.2. Radical Feminism and the State ...................................................................... 28
2.1.3. Socialist Feminist Theorizations of the State .................................................. 32
2.1.4. Post-structuralist Feminism and the State ....................................................... 35
2.2. Contribution of Western Feminist Theories of the State to the Present Study ...... 36
2.3. The Nature of Post-colonial African States: Neo-patrimonialism ......................... 40
2.4. Roadmap to a Critical African Feminist Theorization of the African State ........... 46
2.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 53
Chapter Three ..................................................................................................... 55
Research Methodology........................................................................................ 55
3.0. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 55
3.1. Feminist Qualitative Research ............................................................................... 56
3.2. Discourse and Discourse Analysis ......................................................................... 58
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3.3. Research Methods .................................................................................................. 62
3.3.1. Semi-structured In-depth Interviews ............................................................... 62
3.3.2. Document Collection....................................................................................... 68
3.4. Data Categorisation and Analysis .......................................................................... 70
3.5. Ethical Considerations............................................................................................ 73
3.6. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 74
Chapter Four ....................................................................................................... 75
Colonial Sexual and Body Politics in Kenya: The Female Circumcision
Controversy .......................................................................................................... 75
4.0. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 75
4.1. Representation, Colonialism, Body and Sexual Politics ........................................ 77
4.2. Colonial Sexual Politics in Kenya .......................................................................... 80
4.3. The Female Circumcision Controversy: An Introduction ...................................... 88
4.3.1. The Female Circumcision Controversy and the Colonial State in Kenya ....... 91
4.3.2. Christian Missionaries and Female Circumcision ........................................... 96
4.3.3. The Nationalist Movement and the Female Circumcision Question ............. 102
4.4. Kikuyu Women in Colonial State‟s Discourses of Female Circumcision ........... 106
4.4.1. The Importance of Female Circumcision for Kikuyu Women ...................... 110
4.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 114
Chapter Five ....................................................................................................... 117
The Governance Structures of Modern Kenyan State: The Emergent Politics
of Abortion ......................................................................................................... 117
5.0. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 117
5.1. The Political Landscape in Kenya: Neo-patrimonialism, Patriarchy and Abortion
..................................................................................................................................... 119
5.2. A powerful Patriarchal Bureaucracy and the Abortion Debate ............................ 125
5.3. The Kenyan Judicial System and the Abortion Issue ........................................... 134
5.4. Neo-patrimonialism, Corruption and Abortion Politics in Kenya........................ 142
5.5. Women, Patriarchal Neo-patrimonialism, and the Politics of Abortion............... 146
5.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 158
Chapter Six ......................................................................................................... 161
Deploying Religion, Science and Health: An Analysis of Anti-abortion
Discourses in Kenya .......................................................................................... 161
6.0. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 161
6.1. Anti-abortion Actors in Kenya ............................................................................. 163
6.2. Anti-abortion Discourses in Kenya ...................................................................... 170
6.2.1. Religious and Foetal Life Anti-abortion Discourses ..................................... 170
viii
6.2.2. Pseudo-Scientific Discourses of Abortion .................................................... 178
6.2.3. Abortion and Women‟s Health ..................................................................... 184
6.2.4. Abortion and the Corruption of Africa‟s Societal Morals ............................ 189
6.3. Implications of Anti-Abortion Discourses ........................................................... 196
6.4. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 203
Chapter Seven ................................................................................................... 205
The Pot Bearer Understands its Weight: An Analysis of Pro-abortion
Discourses in Kenya .......................................................................................... 205
7.0. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 205
7.1. Non-state Actors in Kenya: Local and International Organisations .................... 207
7.2. Subjectivities: It is Poor and/or Young Women Who Have Abortions ............... 214
7.3. Pro-abortion Discourses in Kenya ....................................................................... 223
7.3.1. Abortion as an Issue of Public Health ........................................................... 223
7.3.2. The Economic Cost of Abortion ................................................................... 233
7.3.3. Human Rights Abortion Discourses in Kenya .............................................. 236
7.4. Implications of Public Health and Economic Pro-abortion Discourses ............... 242
7.5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 247
Chapter Eight .................................................................................................... 251
Concluding Remarks ........................................................................................ 251
8.0. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 251
8.1. Major Findings of the Study ................................................................................ 251
8.2 Significance of the Research ................................................................................. 256
8.3. Key Features of the New Constitution ................................................................. 259
8.3.1. Neo-patrimonial Politics and Kenya‟s New Constitution ............................. 259
8.3.2. Gender Equality in the New Constitution ..................................................... 265
8.3.3. The New Constitution and the Abortion Question ........................................ 269
8.4. Recommendations for Future Research ............................................................... 271
Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 273
Appendixes ......................................................................................................... 363
Appendix A: Interview Guidelines for the State Actors ............................................. 363
Appendix B: Interview Guidelines for the non-State Actors (pro-law liberalisation) 364
Appendix C: Interview Guidelines for the non-State Actors (anti-law liberalisation) 365
Appendix D: Information Sheet .................................................................................. 366
Appendix E: Consent Form for In-depth Interviews................................................... 369
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