Op-Ed: Recognising ethnic identities in Kenya's constitution may improve democracy

By Elisabeth King and Cyrus D Samii, 22 April 2021
Flag of Kenya (photo credit: pixabay)
Flag of Kenya (photo credit: pixabay)
Kenyans are preparing to amend the country’s 2010 constitution, with a referendum tentatively scheduled for June 2021. The amendments focus on ensuring shared prosperity, managing ethnic diversity, and avoiding divisive elections. [...] Ethnic recognition is less common in Africa than in other regions. Still, there are notable instances of recognition on the continent like Burundi and Ethiopia. We used statistical analysis to compare trends in countries with and without ethnic recognition. On average, countries that explicitly recognise different ethnic groups in their constitutions or peace agreements go on to experience less violence, more economic vitality, and greater democracy than countries that did not.
Read the full article here: The Conversation

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