Tribal Politics and Electoral Division in Kenya: The Paradox of Economic Unity and Political Fragmentation
Overview
This essay examines the paradox of tribal politics in Kenya, observing how citizens from different ethnic backgrounds demonstrate unity in their daily economic struggles but become easily polarized along tribal lines during electoral politics. The author argues that the 2022 presidential election, marked by tensions between incumbent Kenyatta, deputy Ruto, and opposition leader Odinga, reveals how political elites exploit tribal identities to mobilize support despite evidence of inter-tribal cooperation in ordinary life.
What this essay covers
- Observation of daily inter-tribal cooperation in Kibera and Nairobi markets despite economic hardship
- Analysis of the 2022 presidential election dynamics and political tensions between Kenyatta, Ruto, and Odinga
- Personal testimonies demonstrating how tribal identity resurfaces during political discourse
Preview
Letter from Kenya: Tribal Politics Threatening to Plunge Country to Chaos
I’m standing at the window of my apartment in Karen, a middle-class suburb in Nairobi. The window overlooks Kibera, a densely populated sprawling low-income settlement hyped as the biggest in Africa. The view gives me a perfect oversight of how folks interact, especially at this time, evenings are the buzz time for markets as the sun sinks lower in the sky as day’s light fade off into the night.
People living in Kibera are from different tribal backgrounds, natives of different regions in the country. They are working hard to eke a living, and perhaps spare some to send to their families in the countryside. From my travels across this beautiful East African nation, people of different tribal backgrounds tend to be united in pushing the wheels of daily living, perhaps because of the shared struggle to overcome the ever-rising cost of living.
Just before I came to the window to ponder and unwind after a long day working from home and zoom call meetings, I had been shuffling through my social media pages to get a glimpse of the ongoing public conversations. On this evening, Twitter was lit with accusation and counteraccusations and insults from politicians and their supporters regarding who will be the fifth president in 2022 when the country goes to elections as per the current constitution.
The rhetoric hugely relied on tribal stereotyping.