The younger generation offers Kenya its best opportunity to overcome tribalism despite inheriting ethnic stereotypes from previous generations, governance expert Prof Gitile Naituli has said.
Speaking on the persistence of ethnic divisions in the country, Naituli argued that while many Kenyans are exposed to tribal biases during childhood, young people are increasingly demonstrating that peaceful coexistence across communities is possible.
He pointed to university campuses as an example of how ethnic differences are becoming less significant among younger Kenyans.
“Look around university campuses today: students from every ethnic background interact, study and live together harmoniously. Yet, those early childhood biases still linger in the back of people’s minds, ready to resurface when triggered,” he said.
According to Naituli, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) failed to adequately address the deep-rooted psychological conditioning that perpetuates ethnic prejudice.
“This psychological conditioning is precisely what the National Cohesion and Integration Commission failed to address,” he said.
Despite the lingering prejudices, Naituli said the current generation remains the country’s greatest hope for building a more united nation.
He noted that unlike older generations, many young Kenyans are not weighed down by historical political and ethnic grievances.
“Unburdened by the historic grievances that shaped older generations, young people have the power to break these cycles and transform the nation,” he said.
Naituli also challenged the common perception that tribalism dominates everyday interactions among Kenyans, saying research conducted during his time at the NCIC suggested otherwise.
He explained that studies carried out in cosmopolitan counties, including Nairobi, Migori, Isiolo and Mombasa, sought to determine whether ordinary Kenyans distrusted people from different ethnic communities.
According to the professor, researchers examined how people make private decisions, arguing that such choices provide a more accurate measure of tribal attitudes than public statements.
“If you want to measure tribalism, the correct approach is to observe what people do when making private choices,” he said.
One of the questions posed to respondents was whether they considered the ethnic background of prospective neighbours before renting houses.
“We asked people whether they check the ethnic background of prospective neighbours before moving into an apartment building. The reality is that people simply find an apartment and move in, demonstrating inherent trust in whoever lives there,” he said.
Naituli concluded that, at an individual level, most Kenyans are not inherently tribal, despite the ethnic divisions that often emerge during political contests.
“At an individual level, ordinary Kenyans are not tribal,” he said.
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