State Creation of Internally Displaced Persons in Kenya, 1991-98: The Process and Political Dimensions

Abstract

With the reintroduction of multipartyism in 1991, Kenya has witnessed tribal clashes and internal displacement that reoccur with every general election. In 1991-1992 serious clashes occurred in the Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western Provinces. This was repeated in 1993-1995, especially in the Maasai-inhabited district of Narok. In 1997 and 1998, tribal clashes with significant bearing on the election process occurred in the Coast Province and the Rift Valley Province. This paper argues that this political violence was a government plan to forcibly remove non-Kalenjins - Kenya's present government is dominated by President Moi's tribe, the Kalenjin ethnic community - from the Rift Valley Province and win every election by displacing potential voters in vital areas of the country.