The state of political inclusion of ethnic communities under Kenya’s devolved system

Abstract

Relations among some ethnic communities in Kenya have been characterised by deep animosity and suspicion, which heighten during election periods. This is so largely because individuals hailing from a few ethnic communities dominated the political structures and economic resources of the country, to the exclusion of other communities, both before and after Kenya became an independent country. The people in authority used the State apparatus to economically benefit themselves, their kin, their friends and regions. The exclusion was exacerbated as the country increasingly became centralised, contributing to intermittent conflicts, which often occur following general elections, the worst being the 2007 post-election violence. Kenya adopted a new Constitution in 2010 with a view, among other things, to curbing this decades long inter-ethnic animosity.