Post election violence in Kenya: a case study of Uasin Gishu District, Rift Valley Province, 2007-8

Abstract

Multiparty elections in most cases have been associated with violence that takes various forms depending on the number of actors, the root causes, and the embedded interconnectivity with other forms of conflicts. In most cases, election violence; especially after the elections occur to indicate the disapproval of the election results and/or incumbent regime by the general population irrespective of whether the reasons are ideological, structural or ethnic oriented. The 2007 post election violence in Kenya elicited paranoia and heightened suspicions among neighbors who had lived and worked together for many years and it recorded the highest number of deaths, property destruction, displaced people. In addition, it took a longer duration than the previous election violence of 1992 and 1997 and it is after an international mediation process that calm was restored. The fact that the magnitude and effect of the violence was much felt in Uasin Gishu District necessitated the study to fill the gap in knowledge as to what caused the violence and the extent to which the violence has been managed. The study sought to achieve the following objectives: to establish the dimensions of the 2007 post election violence in Uasin Gishu District; to find out the causes of post election violence in Uasin Gishu District; and to establish how post election violence has been managed in Uasin Gishu District. The study was guided by structural theory of conflict. It was established that the post election violence in Uasin Gishu District targeted members of the Kikuyu community who occupy Lelmolok and Bindura farms which are Settlement Transfer Fund schemes; was caused by inadequate ECK legal and administrative framework, poor governance structures and poor land tenure systems; and that the post election violence was poorly managed by the government as it didn't take into the consideration the underlying causes of the violence.