Triggers and Characteristics of the 2007 Kenyan Electoral Violence.

Abstract

Following the 2007 disputed Kenyan Presidential election, unprecedented levels of violence erupted across the country. This paper offers quantitative and qualitative evidence on the incidence, impacts and issues that triggered electoral violence. Using two surveys conducted before and after the election, the study found that 1 out of 3 Kenyans were affected by the violence regardless of their ethnicity or wealth. The chances of being a victim of violence was higher in areas with land conflicts and where politically-connected gangs operated. Violence, mainy triggered by the perception that the election had been rigged, reduced trust and social capital among communities, making coilence more likely to reoccur.

Citation

CSAE Economics Department, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. CSAE WPS/2010-12, 36 pp.

Triggers and Characteristics of the 2007 Kenyan Electoral Violence.

Published 1 January 2010