Study On The Kalenjin In Political Process Of Kenya

Ethnic group plays an important role in political life of contemporary African countries, which is particularly evident in Kenya. Political parties in Kenya tend to be associated with particular ethnic groups, while competitive elections have displayed strong ethnic voting patterns. The most obvious manifestation is the 2007 general election in Kenya. Ethnic conflicts once repeatedly broke out in Kenya history, including the ethnic conflict between 1991 and 1993, and the ethnic conflict in 1997. Kalenjin is one important force in these conflicts. As one of the main ethnic group in Kenya, Kalenjin did not exist in the 1940s, while had extremely important position in Kenya’s political process since the 1980s. Researching Kalenjin’s formation, status and effect in the political process of Kenya not only deepens our understanding of Kenya’s ethnic politics, but also helps to enrich our understanding of Kenya’s contemporary political process.This article takes time as the clue to discuss the formation process and the effect of the Kalenjin in Kenya’s contemporary political process. It argues that the opposed discourse of "advanced/backward" and "locals/outsiders" has dominated Kenya’s political process since independence. This discourse has formed the background factors of Kalenjin’s formation and development. Kalenjin generates in the process of socio-economic transformation of the colony:on the one hand, "backward" group (the different Nandi-speaking branches) feel the great pressure from "advanced" group (Kikuyu), it is in this competitive process, these different branches merge into Kalenjin; on the other hand, Kalenjin hold the view that they are the "natives" of the Rift Valley, and Kikuyu are "outsiders". Since the 1990s, due to the impact on dual process of marketization and democratization, the ethnic contradictions around land, power and wealth between Kalenjin and Kikuyu have intensified. Finally, it led to serious violence after the 2007 general election.