SUMMARY

The Rift Valley Province of Kenya is home to many ethnic groups and is, together with the Nyanza Province, one of the most densely populated areas of Kenya. Cattle-raiding has a long tradition in the region. With the increased availability of modern weapons, cattle raids became more violent and deadly. Tribal clashes can furthermore be characterized by a circular pattern since in order to assure survival, raided tribes must retaliate against other tribes to replenish lost livestock. For the Maasai, cattle raiding has an additional importance: According to their belief, all cattle were given to them by their rain god Ngai. Consequently, they consider all cattle as their property.

Aside from the tensions caused by cattle raiding, another factor having a negative influence on inter-ethnic relations are land disputes. In Kenya access to land is central for most people. Different systems and corruption have led to many areas having double or triple registrations over the same land. Furthermore, the disputes over land result from increased within Kenya migration. Many Luo and Kisii left their overpopulated homelands in order to work in the Rift Valley, the traditional home of the Maasai. Traditionally, such land disputes were not linked to ethnicity. But since the early 1990s, political rhetoric relied increasingly on ethnic stereotypes and as a result, the previously non-ethnic land disputes became more and more linked to ethnicity.

In addition to traditional cattle raids and the land issue, the conflict between the Kisii and the Maasai also had a political dimension, since it took place in the context of the December 1997 general elections. During the campaign period, most candidates relied on ethnic rhetoric and animosities between the different ethnicities, resulting in an overall tense climate in Kenya. This had an impact also on the situation between Kisii and Maasai, even when none of the candidates belonged to neither of the two ethnic groups.

Lastly, the conflict between the Kisii and the Maasai has a cross-border dimension. The homeland of the Maasai is split between Kenya and Tanzania. This allows Maasai warriors to hide and rest in Tanzania when needed.

The non-state conflict between the Kisii and the Maasai is first included in UCDP data in 1997. In November of that year fighting between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.