ROLE PLAYED BY THE YOUTH IN THE 2007 POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN KENYA
Abstract
The research examined the role of the youth in 2007 post-election violence in Kenya. At these initial stages, the researcher attempted to examine the concept of the youth, electoral violence, and the role of the youth in 2007 electoral violence in Kenya. The contribution of various scholars on youth, electoral and political violence plus the role of the youth in post 2007 electoral violence in Kenya is highlighted. While many reports conceded that electoral violence was rampant in Kenya, there was little knowledge on the nature and extent of youth involvement in electoral violence beyond the fact that, invariably, the youth were the one social group that was most visibly engaged and used to penetrate and spread violence. The study was guided by the questions; what was the role played by the youth in the post-election violence in Kenya? The study contended that the youth participation in the violence that erupted following the disputed December 2007 General Elections had its foundation in the role of the youth and especially the unemployed ones. The involvement of the youth in Kenyan politics can be categorized into legitimate and illegitimate roles. The legitimate roles include their participation as candidates, voters, poll agents, campaigners for various candidates and political parties. The illegitimate participation involves bribery, intimidation, obstruction and violence. Both primary and secondary data were widely used, including text books, academic journals and newspapers, supplemented with Kenya Government documents. For theoretical underpinnings and actual appreciation of reality, academic materials and interviews with actors were conducted. The study recommended, among other measures, that the Ministry of Education should broaden the curriculum to encourage excellence in non-conventional fields of learning such as dance and gymnastics. Such a curriculum should provide training and policy guidelines on inter-ethnic issues to teachers (who are among the first to interact with youth) and other actors who have an important role in moulding the youths. This is in order to avoid recurrence of political violence in future.
Key terms: Post-election Violence, Electoral Violence, Political Violence, Violence, Youth
CITATION: Muchiri, C. T., Makumi, M., & Ochieng, K. (2022). Role played by the youth in the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 9 (2), 1041 – 1056.
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