Facebook, Fake News, a Media Shutdown, and a Double Presidency in Kenya

Event Status
Scheduled

THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC POLICY SEMINAR PRESENTS
Warigia Bowman

Facebook, Fake News, a Media Shutdown, and a Double Presidency in Kenya
After a long period of authoritarian rule lasting from 1980 – 2002, Kenya seemed to be on the cusp of a full-fledged democracy. On August 8, 2017, the son of the first president (Uhuru Kenyatta) and the son of the first opposition leader (Raila Odinga) went head-to-head in what seemed like a free and fairly run election. Yet, in a shocking ruling, the Kenyan Supreme Court nullified the ruling in September 2017. The following months witnessed a repeat election and a parallel “swearing in” ceremony by the opposition. The government shut down Kenyan TV stations for nearly a week creating serious concerns about state censorship and an information void filled by social media. The showdown between the executive and the judiciary has seriously damaged Kenya’s prospects for democracy as well as freedom of expression, while two powerful oligarchs battle for power.

Dr. Warigia M. Bowman is an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, where she teaches Field Research Methods and Theory and Practice of Global Development. Bowman earned her doctorate from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where she was the Hauser Fellow for Nonprofit Management and the Oppenheimer Scholar for African Studies. Bowman holds two degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her master’s degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and her Juris Doctor from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. She holds an undergraduate degree in history from Columbia College of Columbia University in New York, where she was the Harry S. Truman Scholar for Public Service.

LUNCH PROVIDED

 

Date and Time
April 3, 2018, All Day
Location
SRH 3.124