Ethnic clashes, displaced persons and the potential for refugee creation in Kenya: a forbidding forecast

Abstract

This article attempts to show that the creation of internally displaced persons is gradually becoming an acceptable political enterprise of the State in Africa. It results from political and negative ethnic exploitation and manipulation by the ruling elites against less powerful ethnic communities who may not agree with the policies of the politically dominant ethnic group in the country, or are merely seen as opposed to the ethnic power base of the rulers. The creation of internally displaced persons is thus a process which is used to short-circuit the political and democratic process of the African State. Second, considering the evolving political scenario in Kenya, the belligerent position taking by the powerholders in the country, coupled with their expressed readiness to use more force against these ethnic communities, and to exploit the ethnic factor, this article argues that this route leads directly to a Rwanda-like scenario and the break-up of the country. In the hope that this refugee-creating technique of the State in Africa can be stopped, the author highlights the internal political dynamics of Kenya and the human displacement it has created.