Kenya: Minorities, Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Diversity
Published: 1/Jan/2005
Source: Minority Rights Group International
By Maurice Odhiambo Makoloo
This report documents the plight of minorities and indigenous peoples in Kenya today. Minorities and indigenous peoples are poorer than other communities, their rights are not being respected, and they are not included in development or other participatory planning processes. Members of minority and indigenous communities feel excluded. They are aware of, and resent, being treated differently and having fewer opportunities.
The report shows how the poverty of marginalized communities is compounded by the lack of official (and unofficial) data disaggregated by ethnicity, which keeps the problem of minority and indigenous poverty hidden and unaddressed. The report examines some of the reasons why this data is not collected and published.
The report discusses the use and abuse of ethnicity in Kenyan politics, also raising the problem of the defensiveness of many in politics on ethnic issues. Claims by particular communities are often seen as threats to the unity of the Kenyan nation, instead of opportunities to make all groups feel included and to ensure that their needs are recognized.
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