Tribes and Identity Cards in Kenya

The briefing examines the role of ethnic markers in Kenya's post-election violence, noting that while identity cards do not explicitly state tribe, cultural naming conventions allow perpetrators to identify and target individuals. It highlights the resulting mistrust in public sectors like healthcare and education, and argues for a neutral national identification system, the devolution of power, and the elimination of neo-patrimonial politics to ensure long-term stability.

• Although Kenyan identity cards and passports do not explicitly list a person's tribe, perpetrators of violence used cultural naming conventions to identify and target individuals based on their ethnic group.
• Ethnic tensions have disrupted essential public services, leading to mistrust within the medical fraternity and the flight of teachers and students from regions where they are perceived as ethnic outsiders.
• The author suggests that African nations facing ethnic conflict should adopt neutral identification systems, such as a social security number assigned at birth, to prevent the use of identity documents as tools for punishment.
• Long-term stability in Kenya requires the aggressive addressing of ethnic stereotypes, the devolution of political and economic power, and the end of political patronage and neo-patrimonialism.

APA

Chikwanha, A. B. (2008). Tribes and Identity Cards in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/29-jan-2008-iss-today-tribes-and-identity-cards-in-kenya

Chicago

Chikwanha, Annie Barbara. Tribes and Identity Cards in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/29-jan-2008-iss-today-tribes-and-identity-cards-in-kenya.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chikwanha |first1=Annie Barbara |title=Tribes and Identity Cards in Kenya |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 January 2008 |url=https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/29-jan-2008-iss-today-tribes-and-identity-cards-in-kenya |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chikwanha2008tribes, author = {Chikwanha, Annie Barbara}, title = {{Tribes and Identity Cards in Kenya}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = jan, url = {https://issafrica.org/topics/corruption-and-governance/29-jan-2008-iss-today-tribes-and-identity-cards-in-kenya}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }