DYNAMICS OF WEAPONIZED ETHNICITY AND INTERMITTENT POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN UASIN GISHU COUNTY, KENYA; 1850 - 2022

Abstract

Since the 1990s, political violence in Kenya has created the impression of an ethnically split nation. This research examines the pre-colonial and post-colonial roots of the weaponization of ethnicity and political violence in the Uasin Gishu district of Kenya. The formation of KANU and KADU bore ideological differences, including the fear of domination of “smaller” ethnic groups by “larger” ethnic groups in Kenya. These actions set the stage for the politicization of ethnicity. This process was further exacerbated in the post-independence period of successive Kenyan leaderships. This foundation of ethnic nationalism in Kenyan Politics has been the precursor to some of the intermittent violence experienced in various parts of Kenya. Since the early 1990s, ethnic clashes in Kenya has been chronic during electioneering times, leaving havoc in its wake. The period 2007-2008 experienced the worst forms of ethnicized political violence since independence, leaving trails of death, destruction, and distrust. Studies on conflict in Kenya have been biased towards ethnicity and political violence without considering how ethnicity has been weaponized. Using Uasin Gishu, the study aimed to assess the dynamics of weaponized ethnicity on intermittent political violence in Kenya since 1850. The study's specific objectives were; to examine the historical background of the Nandi community of Uasin Gishu in relation to ethnic formation and political establishment during the pre-colonial period;to xamine the salient features of ethnic relations and political violence in Uasin Gishu in the colonial period, 1895 to1962;to evaluate the impact of Jomo Kenyattas reign on weaponized ethnicity and intermittent political violence in Uasin Gishu, 1963- 2002;to interrogate the nexus between weaponisation of ethnicity and political violence in Uasin Gishu during President Moi and Kibakis reign,1978- 2012; to interrogate the dynamics of weaponized ethnicity in Uasin Gishu during Uhuru Kenyatta’s rule. The study employed three theories; instrumentalist theory, used to explain that ethnic conflict occurs when ethnic differences are politically charged to garner social-economic benefits for an ethnic group; primordial theory, used in this case to submit that people participate in conflicts due to the relationship that binds them together; as well as the relative deprivation theory, as it holds that conflicts arise when dominant ethnic groups deleteriously control economic resources at the expense of other ethnic groups. The study employed historical research design. The target population included farmers, administrative officials, academicians and business people. The researcher used non probabilistic sampling, including purposive, snowballing, and convenient sampling techniques This study used two research instruments: interview schedules and focus group discussions (FDGs). Primary data was derived from oral sources and archival materials that included official government records. Secondary data was derived from relevant books, book chapters, journal articles and periodicals. Data was analyzed thematically and chronologically. The study's major findings indicate that ethnic nationalism, with its roots in the colonial period, was fanned through the formation of early political organizations, entrenched after independence, and has since become a political mantra in the preceding regimes. The overall conclusion of this study is that; some cultural aspects and institutions of ethnicity have been instrumentalised by political elites leading to intermittent political violence in Uasin Gishu. When it suits them, the same cultural aspects and institutions have been used to inculcate peace and ethnic tolerance. Weaponization of ethnicity, when it results in violence, has negatively impacted Uasin Gishu socially, politically, psychologically, and economically. Most of the efforts and gains made against such weaponization of ethnicity have not been effective due to political impunity. The major recommendations of this study are; that Kenyans must disentangle from the grips of ethnic based leadership and instead embrace national unity and ethnic inclusivity; areas prone to weaponization of ethnicity should employ the humane customary modes of justice since these are more venerated, the political elite should use the traditional and cultural institutions as instuments of national intergration, the government should seriously, genuinely, and fairly implement the constitution to address the underlying causes promoting weaponization of ethnicity and intermittent political violence; a lasting solution for the intermittent political violence from weaponized ethnicity might lie in a negotiated democracy in order to equitably accommodate all ethnic groups in the country’s leadership.