The 2007-08 post-election crisis marked the country’s most severe displacement event in recent decades. Although this shocked most international observers, who had considered the country a bastion of stability in East Africa, a closer look at Kenya’s history reveals that ethno-political violence was not new and has occurred with similar patterns since the reintroduction of multiparty politics in the 1990s. Previous studies have focused on short-term political factors, while this research highlights the role of historical land grievances and colonial practices, which have fuelled ethnic competition over land. Displacement caused by ethnic clashes was ultimately driven by politicians’ ability to exploit deep economic grievances that were rooted in colonial-era policies.
The central argument of this paper is that understanding current internal displacement requires examining historical and economic factors, particularly how colonial dispossession and ethnicization continue to influence post-colonial political dynamics, highlighting the need to address these issues to prevent future cycles of violence and displacement.
KEYWORDS: Colonialism, Ethnicity, Internal Displacement, Kenya, Political Violence, IDPs
Marco Puzzolo (he/him) is a humanitarian professional with over a decade of experience across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. He has worked with leading international NGOs and the UN, spending much of his career with Médecins Sans Frontières. Marco holds an MSc in Political Economy of Late Development from the LSE, with a focus on African history and development, and is currently pursuing an MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies at the University of London.
