Managing Electoral Violence Through Constructive Use of Social Media: Transforming Vulnerable Urban Youth in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to assess the extent to which social media has been misused in the context of electoral processes to escalate violence and how social injustices among vulnerable youth in urban communities have further aggravated the violence. The study attempts to conceptualize and contextualize the phenomenon of electoral violence within emerging democracies in the digital era. This research is based on transformative social protection theoretical framework. Descriptive correlational design was adopted to assess the phenomena of electoral violence and its consequences in Kenya, among poor urban youth living in informal settlements in Nairobi County. The findings reveal a strong positive relationship between perpetual electoral violence, poverty and social injustices among the vulnerable communities. The strategies for mitigating misuse of social media among youth to escalate social unrest and electoral violence are elucidated including redesigning civic education and participatory civic engagement through inclusion of the marginalized and underprivileged youth.