Violence as an election strategy

Since the intense and brutal violence that rocked Kenya in the aftermath of the 2007 polls, increasing attention has been paid to the countrys vulnerabilities to election-related violence. While voting days themselves have typically been peaceful, and the 2007 crisis took many by surprise, violence has in fact been a defining feature of electoral processes in Kenya since the colonial period. It has been employed, in highly strategic and more ad hoc ways, both by political elites and by ordinary citizens, as a means of intimidating and silencing opponents and their supporters, disrupting the electoral process, and ensuring victory in the polls. This chapter will explore the diversity of violent tacticsand the motivations underlying themthat have been employed by various actors during Kenyan elections. It argues that while most forms of violence have featured to some extent in every election, certain tactics have been more prevalent than others at particular moments of political history, shaping the nature of competition and contest. The chapter begins by examining the structures and characteristics of Kenyan politics that have encouraged the use of violence during elections, and offers a brief overview of the different strategies that have been used in the pursuit of power. It then focuses on the specific ways in which election-related violence has manifested during different periods of Kenyan history, and concludes with some reflections on the prospects for democracy and electoral stability in the contemporary era