The post-election violence that erupted in late December 2007 and continued through February 2008 represented Kenya's most severe conflict since independence, killing approximately 1,300 people and displacing approximately 600,000. The violence had multiple geographic loci: in the Rift Valley, particularly Eldoret and Naivasha, organized ethnic cleansing of Kikuyu settlers and other communities occurred; in Nairobi's informal settlements (Mathare, Kibera, Kawangware), primarily political violence targeting government installations and Kikuyu-associated properties unfolded; in coastal regions, communal tensions exploded into violence.
The violence was not purely spontaneous but had characteristics of organization, with local leaders mobilizing constituencies for violence. Weaponry included not only informal weapons but also evidence of small arms distributions suggesting state or political actor involvement. Security forces responded inconsistently: in some zones, they actively suppressed violence, while in others, they appeared to participate in or permit violence against particular communities.
See Also
- 2007 Election
- Ethnic violence Kenya
- Post-election violence
- Kofi Annan mediation
- 2007 Election Rift Valley Violence
Sources
- Waki, Philip et al. (2008). "Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence, Kenya." Government of Kenya. https://www.krckenya.org
- Human Rights Watch (2008). "Ballots to Bullets: Voting Irregularities and Violence in Kenya's 2007 General Elections." New York: HRW. https://www.hrw.org
- Branch, Daniel (2011). "Kenya: Between Hope and Despair, 1992-2011." Yale University Press. https://www.yalebooks.com
- International Criminal Court (2009). "Situation in Kenya." https://www.icc-cpi.int/cases/kenya