The Politics of Identity, Horizontal Inequalities and Conflict in Kenya

Abstract

Prior to the post-election violence in 2008, Kenya was commonly considered a model of peace and stability in sub-Saharan Africa, but there were clear signs that conflict was likely. In fact, since the re introduction of competitive politics in 1992, the country has experienced isolated ethnic clashes that peaked around general election cycles, notably in 1992 and 1997. In a study entitled Sporadic Ethnic Violence: Why Has Kenya Not Experienced a Full-Blown Civil War? Kimenyi and Ndung’u (2005) provided a detailed analysis of a number of likely triggers of conflict in the country and suggested that the likelihood of conflict was high. The authors considered factors such as the politicisation of ethnicity, grievances associated with land ownership, especially in the Rift Valley, and poverty as triggers that could lead to conflict among the various groups in the country.