An Assessment of the Extent of Inter-Ethnic Cohesion Among the Border Communities of Kisumu and Nandi Counties, Kenya

This study assesses the extent of inter-ethnic cohesion among the border communities of Kisumu and Nandi counties, Kenya. The border communities have been experiencing sporadic and recurring ethnic conflicts and tensions for many years. Since 2013-2023, several peace-building strategies have been initiated by several actors to enhance inter-ethnic cohesion among the border communities. Therefore, this study seeks to assess the extent of inter-ethnic cohesion. The theory of primordialism of ethnicity supports the study. The study adopted an explanatory design. The target population are the people who live and work within the Muhoroni and Tinderet Sub-counties. The study population comprised household heads, community leaders, state officers, and non-state actors. The sample size was 320 household heads, community heads, state actors, and non-state actors. The study employed purposive sampling technique to select four wards and eight villages from four wards and simple random to select households. The researcher used questionnaires and interview schedules to collect primary data. Secondary data was collected from journals, books, government and NGO reports, and theses. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (V.30.1) was used to analyze quantitative data, which provided frequencies and percentages and was presented in tables and figures. Thematic and content analysis methods were used to analyze the qualitative data. Findings on the extent of inter-ethnic cohesion show that despite the high extent of harmony (79%) in the study area, there is a high extent of intolerance (80%) and a low level of trust (57%). The high extent of intolerance and low level of trust are caused by stock theft (34.4%), national politics (27%), boundary dispute (22%), nepotism (9.3%), and youth unemployment (7.3%). However, these communities still interact through intermarriages (85%), shared institutions (62%), and trade (60%). The study concludes that despite the high extent of harmony among the border communities, the extent of trust and tolerance is very low. However, the border communities still interact through social cultural activities, border markets and common schooling. The study recommends that to enhance the ethnic cohesion among the border communities, there is a need for more sociocultural integration in the area.