Last week we asked why Kenya’s recent general election was peaceful, in contrast to the post-election violence that followed the country’s divisive December 2007 vote. At first glance this peaceful nature is puzzling: the election was close, like in 2007, and observers were concerned that violence would once again ensue. So why did little violence occur? Commenter hearabout suggests that in the years following the traumatic 2007-8 unrest Kenyans have worked to prevent tribal and political violence, and election media coverage has been comparatively milder. “Further,” hearabout writes, “the main actors of the 2008 violence, Kenyatta and Ruto and such, have also demonstrated restraint and called for peace.”
You May Also Like
Children and Armed Conflict: The Indirect Toll
- June 14, 2012
By Roland Paris On Monday, the United Nations released its annual report on children in armed conflict. Grisly…
Comparative Xenophobia, Part II
- May 22, 2013
By Steve Saideman I had intended to address the relationship between economic freedom and tolerance Max Fisher touched…
Nobody Wins with Violence Around Elections
- October 26, 2020
Guest post by Pearce Edwards and Patrick Pierson. With less than two weeks to go until Election Day…
Will Big Business Protect Democracy?
- November 9, 2022
Guest post by Zhao Li and Richard DiSalvo Fueled by unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, supporters of…
How the Trump Campaign is Undermining American Democracy
- November 4, 2016
Guest post by Allison Patch and Anne Frugé. The 2016 election provides a reality-check about the frailty of…
That’s Not Really A Thing Anymore: Why Calls for Secession Come and Go
- February 7, 2023
Guest post by Kevin Gatter On the night of October 30, 1995, Canadians held their collective breath as…