| dc.description.abstract | Figuring out the best strategies for promoting peace requires an understanding of the factors
that encourage electoral strife. A combination of both technical approaches attitudetransformation
strategies are central to easing of electoral conflict. The past post-election
and election-related conflicts in Kenya call for sustainable peace-building interventions.
Thus, this study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of peace-building strategies in the
management of electoral conflicts in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. The study sought to
establish specifically the nature of electoral conflicts and the peace-building strategies used
to manage these conflicts in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya; assess the effectiveness of peacebuilding
strategies used in the management of electoral conflict and examine the challenges
and opportunities of peace-building strategies used in the management of electoral conflicts
in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. The study was led by a conceptual framework that tried to
explain how peace-building techniques were helpful in managing election tensions. The
study is anchored on Peace-building Theory and Conflict Transformation Theory. The
study employed descriptive and evaluation research design because of its ability to explain
the problem the way it is. The target population for this study comprised selected household
heads, village elders and religious leaders. The sample size for the study consisted of 203
participants. Purposive sampling, stratified sampling and systematic sampling techniques
were used to select the various categories of participants. Primary data was collected from
the respondents using structured questionnaires, interview schedules was used to collect
data from key informant and FGD was used to collaborate information collected from
selected discussants. SPSS Statistics Version 25.0 was used to analyze quantitative data to
provide descriptive statistics, particularly frequencies and percentages and the results were
presented in tables and figures. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic narratives
and presented thematically in verbatim quotations. The study findings indicate that the
major causes of electoral conflicts in the county include unresolved and long standing
grievances( 100%), Poor electoral management and administration (95.27%), political elite
patronage (91.42%), stiff competition (61.37%) and lack of legal and institutional
framework (52.79%). Results also show that peace-building strategies such as sensitization
programmes (93.6%), use of grassroots peace advocacy and peace messaging (92.3%),
dialogue and mediation (88.8%), training and institution-building activities (60.1%), the
adoption of early warning (43.7%) and use of attitude-transformation programs and
systems (41.6%) are effective in reducing tensions and preventing violence during and after
elections. Overall conclusion is that the most effective peace-building strategy to manage
electoral conflicts within Trans Nzoia County is dialogue and mediation. Although the
peace-building strategies are affected by some challenges such as mistrust, suspicion,
mismanagement of elections, and ethnicity they can improved through utilization of
available opportunities such as formulation of relevant policies, use of early warning and
response system, collaboration between the police and the political actors, peace advocacy
activities, use of local dispute resolution mechanisms and building confidence of electoral
actors. The study recommends that the Government of Kenya puts in place measures to
address the pre-existing conflict, develop a framework to guide peace-building activities
and then strengthen them through training and facilitation and employ programmes aimed
at improving citizen trust in public institutions should be enhanced especially through civic
education and public participation. | en_US |
