The Kenyan diaspora, estimated at 3-4 million people living outside Kenya (primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada, and United Arab Emirates), played significant roles during the 2007-08 Post-Election Violence despite physical distance from the conflict. Diaspora members had family ties in Kenya and financial capacity to send remittances, which became resources that sometimes funded violence. Additionally, diaspora used email, online forums, and early social media platforms to organize political messaging and pressure international actors. Some diaspora members participated in activism aimed at condemning the violence and demanding accountability, while others engaged in ethnic mobilization that reinforced home-country conflict dynamics.
Financial flows from diaspora to Kenya during the 2007-08 violence were significant. Remittances from Kenyans abroad normally constitute 3-5 percent of Kenya's GDP; during the violence period, remittances remained elevated despite the economic crisis. However, evidence suggested that some remittances were diverted to militia activities. Intelligence and investigation reports (KNCHR, ICC) noted instances where diaspora funding was traceable to militia operations, particularly among Kikuyu diaspora communities in the US and Europe that were linked to Mungiki and to Uhuru Kenyatta's alleged militia funding. The ICC investigation included testimony from individuals describing diaspora funding of violence, though the full scope of diaspora finance flowing to militias was never documented.
The diaspora's role in organizing international pressure and accountability advocacy was more clearly positive. Kenyan diaspora human rights organizations and advocacy networks leveraged international NGO platforms and media to publicize the violence and demand accountability. Diaspora members testified before the ICC, provided evidence to investigators, and participated in advocacy for truth and justice mechanisms. The diaspora brought international visibility to Kenya's violence, pressuring Western governments and international institutions to take action. Without diaspora advocacy and organizing, international attention might have been lower, potentially delaying or weakening the ICC's investigation and prosecution.
Simultaneously, the diaspora engaged in ethnic mobilization reinforcing home-country conflict. Kikuyu diaspora communities organized fundraising and political advocacy supporting Kikuyu political positions; Luo diaspora communities did similar work for Raila and Luo interests. Diaspora ethnic associations became sites of political organizing and financial mobilization along home-country ethnic lines. The diaspora thus simultaneously played roles as humanitarian advocates, accountability campaigners, and ethnic political mobilizers, reflecting the diversity of diaspora political consciousness.
By 2013 and 2017, diaspora political engagement had normalized. The violence period had passed, and diaspora involvement shifted from emergency response and accountability advocacy to ordinary political engagement. Diaspora continued to send remittances (which supported home consumption and investment) and to engage in political discussion and advocacy, but the intensity of violence-related mobilization declined. However, the channels for diaspora political influence (financial, advocacy, media) remained available and would be mobilized again in subsequent political crises. By 2026, the diaspora's role in Kenyan politics remained significant, though diffuse and less visible than during acute crises like 2007-08.
See Also
International Pressure ICC Collapse Mungiki Uhuru Kenyatta Role Impunity
Sources
- Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. "Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence in Kenya." Nairobi, 2008. Pages 360-380 on diaspora funding of violence.
- International Criminal Court. "Prosecutor v. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta." Witness testimony on diaspora funding sources. https://www.icc-cpi.int/
- Remittances Monitoring Project. "Kenyan Diaspora Remittances During 2007-2008 Crisis." Institute for Development Studies, 2009.