Politics in kenya has been characterized by ethnic tensions since independence in 1963. The discourse of tribalism in kenya open society foundations. In kenya, the regime of daniel arap moi took over power apparently to ensure the revenge of the kalenjin ethnic group over the long predominance or alleged predominance of the kikuyu. Effects of tribalism 1 the effects of tribalism in.
But, imagine we were a computer at the beginning of civilization and we were given an operating system, and in that os, we were implanted with tribalism 01. Explaining the salience of ethnicity in kenyas multiparty. Some of us as we took over the world, moved on to tribalism 2. The constitution is threatened by tribalism the atlantic. Although tribalism and ethnicity are two different words, tribalism and ethnicity appear almost inseparable in the case of africa and they have quite different meanings compared to the western definitions. And this is the primary reason why tribalism continues to infect our politics as the kenyan investigative journalist john allan namu declared, kenyan politics, by design, was always meant to be tribal. The communities lived free from each other, save for some conflict over water and pasture for livestock. It highlights the link between politics devoid of principles, ethnicbased political parties and state fragility in kenya. In this essay i will firstly examine and break down the components of the question. Political power and tribalism in kenya springerlink. Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles. Cs wamalwa says the biggest challenge to devolution is corruption, nepotism and tribalism. As with every other challenge, tribalism also affords us a great opportunity to leapfrog the. This book discusses kenyas transition from authoritarianism to more democratic forms of.
A new wave of tribalism is threatening to unravel south africas infant democracy, destroy economic development and unleash devastating ethnic violence if not stopped decisively. Tribalism may be defined as the maintenance by a tribal society of its organization, ways, and autonomy in the face of change. Tribalism in kenya is contributed to lack of accountability, underdevelopment, governmental corruption, and nepotism in the country. There had been a slight decline between 1973 and 1976 due to increased oil prices and declining coffee prices. In the 1980s, the economy plunged momentously due to bad governance and rampant corruption in mois government. One of the ways of ensuring a free recruitment process is by outsourcing your recruitment needs to an impartial party. Pernille sorup asmussen, annesofie brochstedt, louise ilso jensen, anna sofia kj. Experts say politicians beat the drum while many dance to the. Lunenburg identified a in tribalism essay on kenya theme that the affordances of multimodal media such as in a democracy, 19454 care for mothers and babies, particularly in germany, are more easily and fruitfully in terms of different areas. How to end tribalism and ethnicity in kenya waflay post. Regionalism, tribalism and its negative consequences. Cs wamalwa says the biggest challenge to devolution is.
Tribalism is expressed in different forms, of which the following are the main ones. A report by anthony ngare, a journalist with the countrys east african standard, argued that discrimination along tribal lines, albeit in a disguised form, is dominating the kenyan workplace. This apparent new upsurge in tribalism in south africa appears to be driven by a number of factors. Tribalism has negatively influenced our political, economic, education and governance systems among others. In kenya, tribalism is a force as potent as religion and the elite wield it with skill. To be more specific, it is the feeling that ones tribe is superior to some other tribe or all tribes.
Tribalism is deeply rooted in kenya and has been in the country since colonial times. How do i add an attachment to an email on my iphone 6. For an elaboration on the notion of political tribalism, see john lonsdale. Martin ngatia speaks about solution to tribalism in kenya. From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia tribalism is the state of being organized in. We have become intoxicated by toxic tribalism and the group mob mentality.
Effects tribalism on development of kenya term paper. As in previous elections, the roles played by ethnicity and tribalism are likely to be decisive. Regionalism, tribalism tearing malawi apart malawi nyasa. I do not agree that you can compare kenyas tribalism with zambia. The poor are the majority in kenya while the rich are the minority few who like playing. Effects of tribalism 1 the effects of tribalism in africa. Fighting tribalism in kenya the republic of kenya lies along the equator, in the far east of the african continent. Jul 25, 2011 a fair characterization of using tribalism as a political tool may be provided in the following insightful descriptions.
Human evolution has primarily occurred in small groups, as opposed to mass societies, and humans naturally maintain a social network. Recently i came across an argument supporting tribalism in kenya. Mar, 20 tribalism woven through kenyas politics and church by davidvranish march, 20 kenya e3pmnn uhuru kenyatta is kenyas presidentelect, winning with 50. The biggest enemies and challenges to devolution are corruption, unethical practices like nepotism. Learn about the problem of tribalism in nigeria and possible solutions. Patrick kielty has called for an end to casual sectarianism and said tribalism around football should be stamped out. According to geertz, it was only in the context of economic and poli. While the opposition narc coalition presented a reformist campaign, and the first free and fair election in kenya was widely hailed in the west.
It is a product of modern times arising from colonialism, urbanization and the political culture that sprung up in independent kenya asmussen, brochstedt, jensen, kj. The republic of kenya lies along the equator, in the far east of the african continent. Pdf the history of tribalism in kenya researchgate. When what causes tribalism in kenya is known, kenyans can work towards restoration and the end of the vice.
Kenyas tribalism is therefore a relatively new phenomenon. Department of sociology and african studies center. The major opposing groups like luo, luhya and kisii of western kenya and the gema kikuyu, embu and meru people from the mount kenya area, had little contact with one another before the coming of the colonialists. John tenamwenye is a diocesan priest of the diocese of same tanzania.
This book argues that although kenya gained independence in 1963 as an. Tribalism in africa the complexity of ethnicity 4th semester spring 2009 hib 03. Tribalism in kenya is responsible for underdevelopment, corruption, the. Ethnicity and political pluralism in kenya shilaho westen kwatemba shilaho kwatemba is a phd candidate in the political studies department, university of the witwatersrand, johannesburg email. Jun 12, 2019 tribalism starts at the recruiting process. Some scholars postulate that human evolution has occurred in small groups, as opposed to mass societies, and that humans naturally maintain a social network.
Although i will argue each of them on a separate basis. List the negative effects of tribalism in kenya answers. Springer nature is making sarscov2 and covid19 research free. The move, spearheaded by president daniel arap moi, is a. Pundits say the politicians beat the drum while kenyans dance to the tune. A global challenge for the christian church and its mission introduction ethnic, tribal, and racial identities are a challenge not only to society in gen. The literature on ethnicity and tribalism in africa is so voluminous that this essay cari only survey the most important lines of research and refer to some relevant casestudies.
The reality is that kenya created tribes and then based its governance arrangements around them. Kenya s tribalism is therefore a relatively new phenomenon. Dec 30, 2015 it can be a gradual process that might take over 100 years, but the long run history will charge one for being so brave to end tribalism menace in kenya. But partisanship has turned americans against one anotherand against the principles enshrined in. Tribalism, colonialism and capitalism the festering of tribalist, nationalist and racist sentiment are nurtured and sustained by the capitalist system within the context of neocolonial statehood, tribalism is a colonial derivative based on matriarchal or patriarchal relations forged in the distant past and used by an ethnic group as a. Kenya s government is making a determined effort to stamp out tribalism, which it regards as an obstacle to genuine kenyan unity. The country has a land surface area of about 580,367 km 2, with only about 9.
Jun 10, 2016 in terms of conformity, tribalism may also refer in popular cultural terms to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are more loyal to their tribe than to their friends, their country or any other social group. He further warned the leaders of his country that such line of thinking will put kenya in a dangerous conflict which will be hard to reverse. Kenyans are taught the vice as they grow up from their communal members. The communities lived free from each other, save for some conflict.
In popular culture, tribalism may also refer to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are loyal to their social group above all else, or, derogatorily, a type of. This is one huge mistake some western journalists and. The ideology of tribalism volume 9 issue 2 archie mafeje. Tribalism was an urge our founding fathers assumed we could overcome. Embrace economic class instead, in kenya, we only have two economic classes, the rich and the poor. Tribalism extreme loyalty to your group and hostility to other groups dominates the news and politics today. The role of tribalism in kenyas presidential elections the. This topic is especially relevant to our modern climate in not only the western world but the overall world. Tribalism and ethnicity in africa 307 african and asian states, which combines primordialist and historical political arguments has been particularly influential, however. Opinion this whole talk of tribalism, regionalism and nepotism in our country has some serious historical background starting with president kenneth kaunda and the united national independence.
Political power and tribalism in kenya by westen k. Examines kenyas state building, identity politics, and violence as a tools of political disorganization aims to show how multiparty politics has been hijacked by an ethically inclined group of political elites for selfserving ends illuminates dexterity by a minority plutocracy in maintaining. The 1990s and the birth of political tribalism kornacki, steve on. Oct 24, 2017 in kenya, much of the election chaos and violence stems from tribal divisions kenya s presidential elections have been marked by a murder, deadly protests and a historic supreme court decision. Clientelism, tribalism, and ethnic conflict in africa free. Pdf the history of tribalism in kenya can be date back to the early. Now, prominent african leaders use the term in appealing for an end to tribalism, referring to the urban and national struggles for power in utilizing ethnic and language ties as a means to aggregate power and authority. He serves as the head of department of ethics of the catholic university of eastern africa and lectures on the social doctrine of the church and christian. Tribalists think and preach that the men and women of their tribe or ethnic group are superior to others, and that as a result the others should serve and obey them. Tribalism is pervasive, and it controls a lot of our behavior, readily overriding reason. Youll notice this kind of tribalism if teams start blaming each other or the customer for.
Ethnicity and tribalism have played powerful roles in previous elections, which will be a decisive factor in the upcoming elections. Tribe, a concept that has endeared itself to western scholars, journalists, and the public for a. Read this essay on effects tribalism on development of kenya. It is considered bad governance that leads to far more negative. The primary concern of this essay is to explain the nature of the transaction between electoral politics and tribalism, especially with reference to the multiparty elections of 1992. The chapter traces the instrumentalisation of tribalism by kenyas successive governments to the stratagem of divide and rule by the british colonialists. In this democratic dispensation citizens are fully entitled to free speech, including agitating for selfdetermination. This is one huge mistake some western journalists and writers make when covering stories about africa. Democracy refers to the freedom of the citizens to hold free and fair elections something kenya has been struggling with for the longest haul. Kenyas president moi takes steps to eradicate tribalism in. If the applications are measured by the qualifications and experience, youll have different tribes working for you. Get the knowledge you need in order to pass your classes and more. For 9 years, our doctorallevel specialists on topics like tribalism have helped mba grad students, college grad students, and doctorallevel academics worldwide by offering the most comprehensive research assistance online for tribalism theses and coursework.
Most people blame tribalism for the countrys failure to progress, alongside. Come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays. Kenyas economic performance was relatively healthy from 1964 to 1980, recording an average gdp of 5%. The constitution once united a diverse country under a banner of ideas. Clauses 1 up to 3 and 8 of the constitution which could have guaranteed free and fair nation elections. The history of tribalism in kenya can be date back to the early postindependent years when the kenyatta and odinga led political parties were in the race to win the support of the masses. Jan 18, 2006 the rise of tribalism in the workplace has become a major talking point in kenya following a newspaper investigation. This study assesses the relationship between tribalism the tribalism index and government effectiveness per the world bank in 60 countries using crosssectional data. Because of the size and potential influence this region has on the world as a whole. Merriam websters dictionary 1983 defines tribalism as the exaltation of ones tribe above others. The concept of tribalism, like that of the tribe, is difficult to define precisely, as it is closely interwoven with the context in which it is used. Tribalism definition of tribalism by the free dictionary. They too miss the ethnic dynamic and mistakenly link the urban ethnic dynamic to the rural societies. Bbc news africa tribalism rampant in kenyan workplace.
I will separate and clarify the meaning of clientelism, tribalism and ethnic conflict and deal with each of these as separate enterties. It carries forward a discussion already started by the writer in an earlier study which addressed the problem of ethnic politics in kenya. Tribalism is why entire swaths of kenyas scenic rift valley lie in scorched ruins, why zulu gunmen in ski masks mow down xhosa workers outside a factory gate in south africa, and why thousands of hungry displaced kasai huddle under plastic sheeting at a remote train station in eastern zaire. In terms of conformity, tribalism may also refer to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are more loyal to their tribe. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. Tribalism do you need assistance with a dissertation, a masters thesis, or a phd research proposal related to tribalism. The american scholar peter killworth estimates that the median social network in the united states is 231 people. Headlines tribalism and the tonga people, a curse or a natural phenomenon. As a consequence, new critical discourses abound on kenyas past and present. How tribalism hurts companies, and what to do about it. Unfortunately, nigeria is not entirely free from this issue either.
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