Towards an understanding of conflicts and peacebuilding initiatives in Kibera Urban slum-Nairobi, 1991-2012

Abstract

The focus of the Research was an attempt towards an understanding of Conflicts and Peacebuilding Initiatives in Kibera informal settlement, Nairobi; 1991-2012. The study began with an examination of the history of the Kibera conflicts since the slum emerged in 1904 after the Nubians (Sudanese ex-soldiers serving the British crown) first settled in the area. The research further examined and analyzed the relationships of the multi-ethnic communities living in Kibera during the period and how the re-introduction of Multipartyism in 1991 impacted on those relations. Using both secondary and primary sources of data, a number of defining factors in Kibera ranging from Socio-economic to Political were analyzed in an effort to understand why conflicts escalated in Kibera after 1991 and majorly around or during election periods. One of the salient findings was that Kibera had been a precarious settlement since colonialism and its volatility in post-independence Kenya was a perpetuation of what the colonialists established. Furthermore, conflicts in Kibera defied the drama of monocausal explanation. The prebendary brand of Politics dominant in Kibera served to entrench poverty while enriching a select few. From the historical and archival information, land has been under contestation in both colonial and post-colonial periods not only in Kibera but in Kenya as a whole. Lack of political will within successive governments to address the land question was a key factor emphasized in the report.