Tribalism Plays A Major Role In The Foundation Of African Politics

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Name Institution Tribalism Plays a Major Role in the Foundation of African Politics; Case Study-Kenya Introduction The African continent as a whole with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia was under the control of colonialists’ power from Europe. The European invaders came with different social, political, and economic ideologies foreign to the native Africans and imposed the new concepts on the conservative hosts. Nevertheless, the curious Africans adopted some of the West’s teachings and learned their crafts including languages to understand the visitors as well as gain knowledge. One of study focus by the indigenous Africans was understanding the political philosophies of the West which they thought and some even believed to be far more superior and advanced than their traditional forms of governance and politics. A paradigm shift from the traditional politics to the civilized Western politics championing for democracy and equal rights for everyone would take precedence during both the liberation wars for independence and the subsequent regimes taking over the reign of governance from the colonial masters. A positive move, some would say, or perhaps the European thought of liberated Africa as newborn child basking gracefully under the shine of political civilization and self-governance thanks to exploration campaigns. One thing that the West failed to conquer and exists today in the African is the continent’s strong affiliation to its diverse ethnicity that shapes its political stature. The strong affiliation of indigenous African communities to their ethnicity or tribe has a far-reaching effect on the politics of the land and often is at the center of most of its political turmoil or instability. The Rwandan Massacre of 1994, for instance, demonstrated the depth or rather the extremities of tribalism in the foundation of African politics. Problem Statement African politics form around tribal affiliations where the most influential tribe gets the mandate to rule over the other communities through a shadow democracy that is devoid of equality or fairness. Since the gaining of independence from the colonial rule, most African countries with the exception of a few, have maintained the rule of a tribal chieftain from the most influential tribes from the various nations (Nyambura, 2017). The ruling tribe often share a common characteristic advantage over the other ethnic groups in the form of wealth or control of significant resources or enjoy a numeric advantage over the other tribes thus enjoying the same merit during any electioneering process or period. The tribal chiefs, on the other hand, boast of a euphoric following from loyal tribesmen who would readily give up their lives than to lose the ruling seat of the nation to another member of the society speaking another tribe or even just a simple difference in dialect. However, the difference in dialects can be circumstantial as alliances between the two tribes are more likely in the event of a popular chieftain from an entirely different community (Kimenyi, 2008). The paper seeks to get a vivid picture on the extent of the influence of tribalism on the foundation of African politics through the analysis of Kenyan politics. Kenya is one of the developing democracies in Africa that is mirroring the Western politics in details. The country recently promulgated a new constitution embracing a devolved system of governance, exhibits an independent judicial system, and practices a multiparty democracy system. Despite the milestones gained since her independence from the British colonialists, the country suffers bouts of tribal intolerance during almost every general or presidential elections. It is the extent of the tribal influence on African politics that the paper seeks to explore by reflecting on the Kenyan political scene throughout its democratic journey. Research Objectives • Investigating the leading ethnic groups in Kenya and their influence on local politics. • Exploring the Influence of tribal...