The role of ethnicity in electoral violence; a case of 2007/08 postelection violence in Nakuru municipality of Nakuru County Kenya
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Date
2015-09
Authors
Ingoyi, Evans Amukaka
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Ethnicity in electoral violence has been witnessed in many parts of the world from Europe to
Asia and the rest of the African region. Ethnic wars are therefore a social problem that affects
most societies of the world. In Kenya ethnic violence has been a recurrent feature in general
elections and particularly with the re-introduction of multi party democracy in 1991. The same
violence was witnessed in 1997 and 2002. This research examined this violence from the
perspective of ethnicity with special reference to Nakuru municipality in Nukuru County. The
research also interrogated the factors that led to ethnic violence in Kenya since 1991 and
assessed the impacts of ethnicity on ethnic relations in Nakuru municipality. To achieve this, the
researcher employed a descriptive survey design. The research used cluster, purposive and
simple random sampling method to select 400 respondents. The sample size was attained by
selecting 40 respondents from each of the ten major estates (clusters) in Nakuru municipality.
This work of research was guided by the Relative Deprivation Theory postulated by Robert
Merton. This theoretical framework provides a view of social change and movement according
to which people take actions for social change to acquire something they believe they should
have access to. This push for social change manifests itself in form of ethnic violence during
electoral processes. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. Data
collection instruments were piloted to test their reliability. Once data was collected descriptive
statistics such as percentages were used to analyze the data. Qualitative data mainly from
interviews was subjected to content validity during analysis. Presentation of data is in the form of
tables, graphs and pie charts.
Description
A thesis submitted to the school of humanities and social sciences in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of master of arts of Kenyatta University. September 2015