SEEDS OF STRIFE: UNRESOLVED LAND GRIEVANCES AND ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN KENYA

ABSTRACT

During electoral seasons, citizens often engage in violence to ensure their preferred candidates gain power. Disputed electoral results are a major factor but not the only reason for Kenya’s recurrent post-election violence. This paper argues that the politicisation of land issues and unresolved land grievances in developing countries, including Kenya, enable opportunistic politicians to incite violence, with elections acting as a catalyst for clashes over land grievances. The paper examines the connection between land issues and post-election violence, analysing Kenya’s history since adopting multiparty democracy and the tribal clashes around elections. It argues that land grievances provide politicians with a means to incite tribal attacks, leading to ethnic evictions and violence. The paper illustrates how tribal politics and land ownership conflicts in Kenya, particularly in the Rift Valley, are manipulated by politicians to weaken opponents or cut off their support.

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UNILAG Law Review, (2024) Volume 7 Edition 1.