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Paper short abstract

The 2017 post-election violence that erupted in informal settlements of Nairobi pointed not only to the noted national narratives of ethnic divisions in Kenyan elections but also to more localized contests. This paper explores these more localized narratives that drove these violent skirmishes.

Paper long abstract

Violent elections in Kenya are nothing new. The 2017 post-election violence that erupted in various informal settlements of Nairobi pointed not only to the noted national narratives of ethnic divisions in Kenyan elections but also to more localized contests. This paper explores these more localized narratives that drove these violent skirmishes with specific reference to Kawangware and Mathare North slums. In so doing, the paper seeks to explain why these areas are vulnerable to violent skirmishes accompanying the (often ethnically) divisive elections in Kenya and the implications of these conflicts for the future of urban politics in the informal settlement areas of Nairobi.