EXTERNAL TRIGGERS AND THE ESCALATION OF CONFLICT IN NORTHERN KENYA 1990-2014
Jonathan Ltipalei
Student, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Joshua M. Kivuva
Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Fred O. Jonyo
Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya
ABSTRACT
This article discusses the external dynamics that resulted in the proliferation of arms into Kenya in general and Northern Kenya in specific. The article has two major arguments. First, during the cold war, there was an arms race in the region because of its strategic position. This resulted in the two super powers, USA and USSR to arm specific countries that were considered to be friendly to them. Once cold war ended, these arms were flooded in the market as they no longer were controlled by the superpowers. Eventually, they got into the arms of civilians exacerbated already existence conflict. The study finds and concludes that political instability in Somalia made Kenyan Somalis able to obtain guns by volunteering to join the fight for the Ogaden in Ethiopia, and then slipped back into Kenya. In some cases, renegade Somali soldiers did the same. In Ethiopia and Eritria, The rivalry between the countries led to arms race between the two nations, where each country is involved in massive acquisition of arms. Meanwhile, The Turkana exploited the ethnic rivalry between their foremost enemy in Uganda-the Dodoth and their Ugandan cousins, the Jie to get arms supplies from the latter.
