Sociology

This paper examines the sociological problem that ethnicity and tribalism poses in regard to the social cohesion and peaceful coexistence with specific reference to Kenya. Peaceful coexistence in any society play a prominent role in addressing social stability, brotherhood and a sense of belonging which leads to equitable distribution of resource and political good will. This thesis draws on the view that ethnicity and tribalism has torn the social fabric that unites Kenyans leaving this society on the verge of ethnic clashes, electoral malpractices, corruption and enlarging the gap between the haves and the have nots. In this paper, I seek to explore the origin of ethnicity by analyzing it, identify any possible solutions to ethnicity and evaluate the feasibility of the under said solutions in light of ethnicity.

Introduction
Overview of Kenya
Kenya is a multiethnic community that lies across the equator in East Africa, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Its size is twice that of Nevada State in America. Since independence, there has been ethnically discriminatory nature of Kenyan citizen whereby most of the people identifying themselves more with their ethnic communities. The ethnic policy, its influences on administration and its practice by the political manipulation, has largely developed ethnic hatred in Kenya (Mohamud et al, 2006).
Current literatures often presume that the Kenyan government uses ethnicity to establish its population. In this light, the ethnicity question resides within the paradigm of territorial occupancy and according to the constitution ethnic communities are supposed to enjoy adequate protection under national and international law (Mbithi, 1974). Mohamud, et al (2006) further asserts that it is only in Africa and Kenya in particular where what defines ones citizenship is ones ethnicity. As a result, an ethnic imbalanced situation arose leaving many Kenyans to face institutionalized discrimination as regards the acquisition of states property and wealth as in employment opportunities, leadership positions and regional developments.

Based essentially on the argument highlighted above, the ethnic communities that were influential in the political divide at the time of independence dictated what would be best described as the ethnic future of Kenya. Both the Kikuyu and Luo communities were strong and robust and the political misunderstanding that existed between their leaders-Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga- provided the emergence of ethnic animosity that has become a wound which will never heal in the Kenyan society. Although the middle class and the civil society have attempted to problem, political elite continue to fuel ethnicity thus ruling out the possibility of realizing the way forward towards solving this problem.

Statement of the Problem
As a sensitive sociological problem of Kenya, ethnicity is blamed on ancient rivalry, cynical political calculation and a combination of two or more communities with the corruptible electoral process. This has for so many years worsened or instigated the latent tribal hostility. The underplay of ethnicity has some slippery relations between tribalism and a universal human attribute of politicized ethnicity. Historically, major social problems that affect the Kenyan people presently are attributed to the original problem of ethnicity. Anthropologist and economists argue that the problem is the root cause of the unequal distribution of resources, lack of better legal machineries to address historical social injustices, land issues and positions of power. Ethnic clashes that marred the country since 1992 are as a result of inter-tribal fighting that tell the whole story about ethnicity (Legum, 2007).

Despite the laudable benefit of independence and the fact that Kenya is a sovereign state, the Kenyan society is languishing in the fire of ethnicity and tribalism. This was highlighted by Mbithi (1974) when he said that far from leaving behind democratic institutions and cultures, the British bequeathed to its colony corrupted and corruptible government. A few political successors were handpicked in a process that left the country that will forever remain in ethnic division. The legal system left behind has for many years facilitated oppression, tyranny and poverty rather that an open and accountable system of government.

This situation reflects the imperial policy of divide and rule that the British left which seem to play on one side of another ethnic group thus leading to some fluid group of individuals to become immutable units of ethnicity. In essence, this is exemplified from the Kikuyu and Luo communities which have in a political tug of war since independence .According to Legum (2007) these two ethnic communities were picked and solidified by the British and due to the misunderstanding in political power, they developed an old age tribal hatred that drive todays conflict in Kenya. Ideally, the problem of ethnicity and the conflict that eventually arose are post colonial phenomena.

Conceptual Framework
Analysis of the problem
The conceptual framework of this study is based on the concept that ethnicity should be the basis of cultural exchange and diversity a factor that symbolizes the socio-cultural and political aspect of a country. Mbithi (1974) argues that ethnic lines should not divide the country and it is the collective responsibility of all members of the Kenyan society to promote unity in diversity such that the ethnic dimensions are seen in the light of rich cultural heritage. The emergence of ethnic consciousness arose from the local debates about how generations, the gender, rich and poor should relate as inequalities in every socio-economic aspects were transformed into new differentiations which became less sensitive the moral audit of honor.

The recently horrific post election violence draws its basis on the question of ethnicity. According to Mohamud, et al (2006), the problem of violence was rooted in racial and ethnic hatred considering the fact that it was happening in specific places, which if you know Kenya well, you could easily predict. As pointed out earlier, the immediate cause of all these problems is the Kenyas delicate ethnic balance. With the president from the Kenyas largest and most powerful ethnic community which total about 22 percent of the population, his rival is attributed to the second powerful community that comprise of 13 percent populace and live predominantly in Western region of the country. These two communities dictate the political battle line which fundamental determine the ethnic climate of the country.

Accordingly, smaller communities align with these big two depending on how the countrys wealth is spread across the communities.

The understanding generated from this perspective informs us that members of the Kenyan society have formed a culture of ethnicity such that everything happens in the eyes of ethnic affiliation. For example, if it is a job offer, the selection process is done with regard to the ethnic orientation of the person in charge. As Legum (2007) points out, in the wake of post election violence, nothing ideally was there to unite Kenyans. The political manipulation fuelled with historical injustices have led Kenyan people to be alert to what is called our own or we are never considered.

The height of tribalism has gone beyond elasticity limits and surprisingly, it has paved way to the several social problems such as insecurity, robbery, prostitution, failure of the state to equitable distribute resources of the nation, corruption and broadly a culture of impunity. It should be noted that in the event a senior government official is implicated in fraud or case of corruption, the nature of the matter is ignored and members of his ethnic community come of defending him. Not even the law applies because, the implicated officer will run to political leaders from his ethnic background and the matter will be shortchanged to be fight against a certain tribe and not fight against impunity.
The indication of this ethnic malice postulates why Kenya has maintained and even deepened the old imperial heritage of authoritarianism and ethnic division. The British kept Luo and Kikuyu divided for the British own interest. However, as Legum (2007) notes, the short lived alliance between the Luo and Kikuyu led to Kenyatta becoming the president and Oginga the vice president. This later changed course as Oginga retreated into the opposition. Fears of ethnic ascendances, power hungry political elite undemocratic institutions are the hallmark of the present Kenya with ethnic atrocities.
Arguably, ethnicity was schooled by the British through colonial detention camps. Before their departure, Kenya seems to have learnt lessons form the British model of democratic election. Apparently, what fuel this problem are the political tension as well as lack of political good will. Kenyans believe that because their communities are not represented in the top political leadership, they share of the national cake is often short changed. That is why during every electoral process the malice of ethnicity is often heightens. But where did everything begin from Considering the fact that Britain was determined to protect its geographical and economic interests during decolonization process, it did something short of stuffing the ballot box. Somehow, this set the dangerous precedent that Kenyan society operates on. Among the maneuvers for example, the British drew electoral boundaries to cut the representations of certain groups they thought might threaten their course. This has been the trend, forty plus years after independence. The governments of the day have worked on this paradigm thus neglecting other communities and over emphasizing on theirs hence the eruption of ethnicity and tribalism (Legum, 2007).

Solution
Research postulates that Kenyan society is wallowing in the quagmire of ethnicity due lack of efficient laws to govern its institutions. Essentially, the consensus theory of sociology portend that there should be interactional functionalism in the society where every member works within the cultural orientation of the society to maintain law and order. In so doing, every ethnic community in Kenya will be assumed to be an integral part of the Kenyan society and understanding this assumption, all Kenyans regardless of their ethnic inclination, will serve as the vehicle fro having peaceful coexistence, civic and political good will and thus enjoy their identity as Kenyans (Mohamud, et al, 2006).

Any attempt to root out the problem should base the rationale on what provide for the ethnicity and tribalism. There may be a myopic tendency of looking at it in the light of ethnic violence. The problem is deep rooted and leads a culture of survival for the fittest which is not good for any society. Although ethnicity and tribalism in Kenya is a potent political force across the space of time and place, there is unlegislated hope that in future, there is going to be nothing like pure ethnic group. Sociologists argue that as ethnic groups mix with disparate elements on account of inter ethnic marriage, miscegetion and assimilation through other socio cultural process, the Kenyan society should use the unification of culture to end ethnicity. Ethnicity can be maintained only through the social construction of cultural boundary marker. These include invention of symbols, ideologies, traditions and reduce stereotyping (Mohamud, et al, 2007).

It is plausible to argue that the above solution to ethnicity can only be achieved through the efforts of the Kenyan people but it fall shorts of one element. It does not have any legislative backing because there is no clause in the law supporting. As a result, the constitution should be amended to promote brotherly coexistence and forbid tribalism. In so doing, Kenyan people will be expected by the law to promote unity in diversity and political leaders will execute their duties on the basis of merit and the constitution.

In addition, the governments should set commissions of justice and reconciliation to sensitize all ethnic communities on the importance of peaceful coexistence and the need to reconcile old socio historical injustices and thus ride above ethnic orientations in light of distributions of the countries wealth as well as adopt a unified political good will. The members of the Kenyan society should avoid political manipulations knowing that the political elites have self vested interests as evidenced in the political trends in the country. Such commissions should aim at bringing people together such that the old historical injustices may be reconciled to pave way fro a fresh pedestal on which Kenyan see them. Policies should be enacted to help foresee accountability, transparency and fair representation across all regions.

Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is evident that the sociological problem of ethnicity is a historical phenomenon that was cultivated by the British  colonizers and well driven by a local patriotism inspired by political affiliation as well as religion, through vernacular mission translated Bibles that told of an enslaved people who later became a tribal nation. As a result, Kenyan ethnic communities embarked, in combination of desperation and hope and on chain migration, out of their pauper territorial occupancy to access particular niches of employment. This was possibly in white farms and plantations, on the railway, in the police or army or even domestic service. Government officials thus exploited various tendencies and stereotype various ethnic qualities of the groups concerned. Accordingly, the British helped harden the ethnic decisions, making them greater by differing potentials for social mobility.