AN ANALYSIS OF DISCOURSAL STRATEGIES IN THE CAMPAIGN MANIFESTOS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN THE 2022 GENERAL ELECTION IN KENYA

Abstract

Manifestos in political discourse are a key component of the democratic process regionally and internationally. They play are used to present the candidates ideologies, present policy packages and articulate the vision, values and policies of the political parties and the candidates. Internationally campaign manifestos are used to present the party’s ideological position and educate voters who make informed choices. Regionally campaign manifestos are designed to allow candidates and parties to address issues common to the citizens. The presidential candidates often design their campaign manifestos using creative language which unravels the significance of discoursal strategies as a means of communicating messages on the envisaged plans of developing the nation once elected to office. This study explores the discoursal strategies employed in the manifestos of presidential candidates in the 2022 general election in Kenya. Discoursal strategies are particularly key in manifestos as they help the presidential candidates to express their commitment to specific policies, and further convince the targeted voters on the viability of policies and visions of their political parties. This study sought to explore how particular discoursal strategies are used to frame political agenda and thus evoke specific emotional responses. This study was guided by the following objectives : to describe discoursal strategies employed by the presidential candidates in the 2022 general election in Kenya, determine the contribution of discoursal strategies in the articulation of political agenda in the campaign manifestos of presidential candidates in the 2022 general election in Kenya and examine the extent to which the CDA accounts for the use of discoursal strategies to unravel power dynamics and ideologies in the manifestos of the presidential candidates in the 2022 general election in Kenya. The study applied the Critical Discourse Analysis, a theoretical framework by Fairclough (2001), whose studies are geared towards uncovering, revealing or disclosing what is implicit in relation to discursively enacted dominance or underlying ideologies. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Qualitative data was collected from printed manifestos, thematically classified and analyzed based on the CDA model. Purposive sampling was used to select specific sections of manifesto texts with analyzable discoursal strategies. Data was collected using a data extraction tool which was used to extract discoursal strategies from the manifestos of the presidential candidates in the 2022 general election. Focus Group Discussions were also used to collect qualitative data for the study. The data was coded into discoursal categories such as multi-textual levels of persuasion discourse, metaphors, repetition and symbolism. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically using textual analysis. The findings show that discoursal categories are key in expressing ideologies, power dynamics and persuade the voters in manifestos texts. The results also indicated that presidential candidates in the 2022 election in Kenya used particular discoursal strategies in passing messages of nation building and opinions on uplifting the welfare of the Kenyan citizens. This study points out the significance of the use of figurative language, emotional appeals and the framing of promises. The manifestos also manifest personal inclusion and exclusion, collective identity, action oriented language and legitimation structures to unravel ideologies, power dynamics and power realities in campaign ventures. The study also pointed out that discoursal strategies contribute to the effectiveness in the presentation of messages and persuasion of voters. The CDA as the theory underpinning then study centrally shapes ideologies and power relations through language choices. This study makes a scholarly contribution in the field of political discourse by underscoring the role of discoursal strategies in constructing opinion shaping messages. The findings will help political actors design campaign tools that provide a basis for presenting ideologies, educate the voters, help present government projects to the citizens and persuade them to vote