Conflicts in Kenya: Drivers of Conflicts and Assessing Mitigation Measures

Abstract

Modern threats to security differ in both form and dynamics and therefore it is important to appreciate their origins, trends and evolution within the context of the political history of the country in order to deal with the underlying issues surrounding them. Against this backdrop, this chapter delves into the nature and drivers of insecurity in Kenya with the aim of enhancing understanding of the context within which realistic, sustainable policy options can be sought. Kenya is rife with violence, as exemplified by its high levels of sexual and gender-based violence, intercommunal violence, cycles of election-related violence, and increasing numbers of terrorist attacks. The incidence, gravity and intensity of the phenomena have been increasing for years. The conflicts the country experiences are multiple and overlapping, with the Rift Valley, Nairobi, the peripheral pastoralist drylands, and the coastal region being among the areas most affected. The high levels of violence are the result of a range of factors, including: ethnic intolerance, border conflicts, political party zoning, competition over land and other resources, the proliferation of small arms, weak security and poverty, underdevelopment, and marginalisation. Intercommunal violence risks being increased by competition over the fruits of devolution and the elite manipulation of local communities. Violent Islamist activities have tended to be clustered in the north-eastern region of the country (which borders Somalia and Ethiopia), the coastal region in the South East, and Nairobi. Terrorist attacks have pervasively increased since the Kenyan government sent its defence forces to Somalia for the military operation dubbed ‘Operation Linda Nchi’ in 2011. The response of the government has been characterised mainly by the politicisation of the counterterrorism response and the scapegoating of certain ethnic and religious groups that have also played into Al-Shabaab’s hands. The proliferation of small arms in the African Great Lakes Region and Kenya provides more opportunities for violence and wider insecurity. There have been attempts to avert conflicts in Kenya, but failure to address various problems embedded in Kenya’s social structures makes the nurturing of peaceful coexistence a mirage. In order to mitigate the foregoing, there is an urgent need to deal with: economic inequalities, provision of basic essentials, culture of violence as manifested in the formation of gangs used by politicians to settle political scores, gender inequalities and unequal power relationships between women and men, and the creation of an effective and accessible justice system that has made women and girls in the internally displaced person (IDP) camp susceptible to multiple levels and various forms of violence.

Charles Ndalu Wasike (Kenya), Ph.D., head, African Peace Research and Education Association (AFPREA), lecturer, Moi University, Kenya; Email: ndaluwasike2006@yahoo.com.