Ethnicity, Cohesion and Integration of Students in Post-Election Kenya

Schools are centers for the integration of learners, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. Kenya, being a multiracial and multi-ethnic country, has relied on national education as a unifying factor since independence in 1963/64. However, the post-election violence of 2007 and 2008 led to widespread ethnic tensions, disrupting this unity and fostering negative sentiments among many Kenyans toward their ethnic neighbors. This book demonstrates the impact of negative ethnicity on students’ cohesion and integration in co-curricular activities in secondary schools within selected counties where ethnic violence was particularly severe. It addresses the challenges posed by negative ethnicity in Kenyan schools and advocates for teacher training on national values such as patriotism, unity, peace, love, and good citizenship, as outlined in the Kenya Constitution 2010. The key lesson from this book is the urgent need to strategize the formulation of a national integration policy through the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and to ensure that civic education is conducted nationwide.