Causes of negative ethnicity in Kenya.

  

Date Posted: 4/14/2015 6:51:27 AM

Posted By: shiku kim  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 110

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Negative ethnicity in Kenya and Africa at large is a very sensitive issue and politicians have for a long time learned the art of using it to advance their interest. It's the easiest way to get Kenyans hate or even kill their neighbors. Just because a politician they like said that certain communities are bad so they also become bad to you. But why is ethnicity so predominant in African countries and Kenya to be precise?

Politics is a worldwide concept so why Kenya is greatly affected by negative ethnicity is a question only Kenyans can answer. Here are several factors that can be used to explain the menace of negative ethnicity in Kenya;

Ignorance brought about by high levels of illiteracy in Africa. Most African countries are considered to have the highest levels of illiteracy and Kenya is not an exception though it has been trying to increase educational levels. Just as education is power, illiteracy can be a weakness. There is a large population of Kenyans who do not know how to read hence they can not access the constitution to know their basic rights. They see their politicians as some heroes because they are the loudest people in the society and will take whatever they say as the basic truths. Education gives a person the power to think independently and make critical decisions. When people are denied access to education they become enslaved to the few elites in the society who exploit them.

Another contributing factor is the high levels of poverty in Kenya. Over fifty percent of Kenyans live below the poverty line. The politicians who for many years have accumulated their wealth through corruption give handouts to Kenyans for their political loyalty. The poor Kenyans are willing to vote for anyone who gives money irrespective of

their character. The high levels of poverty makes it very easy for politicians to advance their propaganda on negative ethnicity. The impact of poverty on ethnicity was clearly illustrated during the post election violence. The violence was worst in poverty stricken Kibra slums while people in Runda were only watching the events on television.

The ever increasing levels of unemployment among Kenyans especially youths also encourages negative ethnicity, as it goes, idle mind is the devils workshop. Over forty percent of Kenyans are unemployed hence are ready to do anything to generate an income. Due to their desperate situation, the young people are used by the selfish politicians to fight along ethnic lines. During post election violence, many youths were involved in destroying public property and even fighting for their politicians.

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