Navigating ethnicity and electoral politics in northern Kenya: the case of the 2013 election

Carrier, Neil; Kochore, Hassan Hussein

doi:10.1080/17531055.2013.871181

Cited by 61 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The beneficiaries of this decision include not just Kalenjin and Kikuyu ranchers but also noncoethnics who supported the Jubilee coalition because of their self‐interest in livestock policy. In their study of the 2013 election campaign in northern Kenya, Carrier and Kochore () find that William Ruto’s appeal to the pastoralist link between himself and the northerners had the greatest impact on the electoral success of the Jubilee coalition in this potential swing region.…”

Section: Multiparty Competition and Policy Choicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Issue Ownership and Strategic Policy Choice in Multiparty Africa

Kim

2019

Politics & Policy

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While it is widely believed that democratic institutions are more responsive to citizens’ policy needs and interests, there has been little effort to examine how multiparty competition in consolidating democracies affects policy choices among competing economic interests. The questions of whether and how democracy influences such policy decisions tend to be ignored because many presume constituents in developing countries are only sensitive to relatively direct exchanges of favors for votes, such as distribution of clientelistic benefits or local/club goods. In this study, I examine some nationally important economic (sub)sectors whose policies favor some parts of the economy over others, targeting investment, taxes, and subsidies, trade protections, or regulation. Applying issue ownership theory to two cases—Ghana and Kenya—I find that partisan competition leads incumbent governments to pursue policies that help ensure economic gains to their electoral supporters at the expense of the opposition backers’ interests. Related Articles Kostadinova, Tatiana, and Petia Kostadinova. 2016. “Party Promises, Voter Understanding, and Mandate Responsiveness in East European Politics.” Politics & Policy 44 (1): 5‐34. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12145 Pelizzo, Riccardo, and Zim Nwokora. 2016. “Bridging the Divide: Measuring Party System Change and Classifying Party Systems.” Politics & Policy 44 (6): 1017‐1052. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12188 Pelizzo, Riccardo, and Zim Nwokora. 2018. “Party System Change and the Quality of Democracy in East Africa.” Politics & Policy 46 (3): 505‐528. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12255

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Section: Multiparty Competition and Policy Choicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Issue Ownership and Strategic Policy Choice in Multiparty Africa

Kim

2019

Politics & Policy

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“…The respondents did not mention the pollution of water, possibly because they are not noticeable yet as the exploration in Turkana only started in 2012. In addition to water, land could be polluted for instance by the dumping of oil wastes without proper sealing and treatment (Khaitan et al, 2006;da Silva et al, 2013). But again, the pollution of land did not feature strongly in the responses of the communities.…”

Section: Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a risk that the oil profits do not trickle down through the different levels of government to the local communities, especially because corruption (rank 145 of 175 countries) and patronage along political and ethnic lines is already a widespread problem in Kenya (Transparency International, 2014;Carrier and Kochore, 2014). Member of parliament James Lomenen notes, "Oil is not the problem -it is how it is done that is the issue."…”

Section: Community-company Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For pastoralists in Sudan already confronted with militarisation of inter-ethnic conflicts and displacement, oil is an additional worry (Chavunduka and Bromley, 2011). Chavunduka and Bromley (2011) conclude that "oil has not engendered peace and prosperity but the exact opposite". Similarly, Pantuliano (2010) finds that oil exploitation in Sudan has contributed to environmental degradation, for example through tree cutting for oil extraction sites, which in turn has exacerbated conflict over land (see also Switzer, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The nexus of oil, conflict, and climate change vulnerability of pastoral communities in northwest Kenya

Schilling

Locham²,

Weinzierl

et al. 2015

Earth Syst. Dynam.

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Abstract. Turkana, in northwest Kenya, is the country's poorest and least developed county. Pastoralism in Turkana is well adapted to the harsh climatic conditions, but an increase in drought frequency associated with global climate change and intensifying violent conflicts between pastoral groups poses significant challenges for local communities. The conflicts are especially violent in the border region between the Turkana and the Pokot communities. In this very region significant oil reserves have recently been found. The first aim of this paper is to analyse how the oil exploration affects the communities' vulnerability to climate change. Secondly, the paper explores the risk of the oil explorations creating new conflicts or aggravating existing ones. The primary method of the study is qualitative field research supplemented with a geo-spatial analysis of conflict data. The field research was conducted in October 2013 and April 2014 in three villages with different levels of engagement with the oil exploration. At the time of the research, oil exploration was expected close to Lokwamosing, while it had recently started in the vicinity of Lopii and had been ongoing for a longer time close to Nakukulas. The findings suggest that the oil exploration increases the community's vulnerability to climate change. Further, unmet community expectations for water, employment and development pose a significant risk for violent conflict between local communities and the operating oil company. Intercommunal conflict over water and land could increase as well.

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Political arenas of infrastructure development—the case of a dam project in Kenya

Rieber,

Müller-Mahn

2024

Rev Reg Res

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State-led infrastructure development plays an increasingly important role in social transformation, especially in the Global South, which is also pushing the topic on research agendas in the social sciences in general and in development geography in particular. However, large infrastructure projects are often not completed as originally planned, and they may even end before implementation. This raises the question of how infrastructure and social transformation are related, especially if plans do not materialize. The paper presents an empirical approach to capturing the co-evolution of these two spheres of change in terms of a ‘political arena of infrastructure development’. The arena is defined as a socially constructed space of contestation and strategic collaboration at an intermediate scale, characterized by a specific composition of temporality, spatiality, and performativity. Its focal point is the infrastructure development project, which characterizes the arena as a site of future-making. By conceptualizing the co-evolution of infrastructure and society in terms of a political arena, we highlight the contestation and strategic alliances of infrastructural futures. The concept offers insights into the contentious politics of infrastructure development, resource conflicts and land-use interventions from a political ecology perspective. We apply the concept to the case of the Crocodile Jaw Dam project in Kenya, which was repeatedly proposed in development plans, but has never materialized to date. Serving as a heuristic, the concept of political arenas of infrastructure development guides the research process, helping to identify key topics and dynamics within the socio-political landscape of infrastructure projects.

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Navigating ethnicity and electoral politics in northern Kenya: the case of the 2013 election

Cited by 61 publications

References 20 publications

Issue Ownership and Strategic Policy Choice in Multiparty Africa

Issue Ownership and Strategic Policy Choice in Multiparty Africa

The nexus of oil, conflict, and climate change vulnerability of pastoral communities in northwest Kenya

Political arenas of infrastructure development—the case of a dam project in Kenya

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