Early Warning Systems as An Etjino-Political Conflict Management Method in Nakuru County: 1963-2010"

Abstract

The concept of conflict early warning systems (EWS) has re-emerged in recent years as a result of conflicts such as the genocide in Rwanda 1994 and post-election violence (PEV) 2007/08 in Kenya. This study will investigate the role of conflict EWS in ethno-political conflict management in Nakuru County between 1963 and 2010. The study will only focus on ethnic conflicts within Kenyan communities inhabiting Nakuru County. Preventive diplomacy, transformation and structural conflict perspectives have been employed as prisms and frame of analysis for this study. A descriptive survey design will be used while adopting a qualitative approach. Data will be collected from key informants drawn from both state and non-state actors as well as the local population in the study site. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions will be the techniques used for data collection. Purposive sampling will.be utilized as the sampling method while content analysis process will be applied as a data analysis method. This study seeks to find ways to prevent the incipient conflicts in Kenya with a view to fostering sustainable peace. The case of Nakuru County will contribute to the theoretical knowledge of ethno-political conflict management in the region and highlight some of the attendant practical problems related to the new field of conflict EW in Africa. As a paradigm shift in conflict management, the study will contribute to an emerging yet promising field of preventive diplomacy.