Linguistic Stereotypes & Prejudices In Inter-Ethnic Conflicts in Eldoret, Kenya Linguistic Stereotypes & Prejudices In Inter-Ethnic Conflicts in Eldoret, Kenya MARTIN SITUMA Exceller Open Linguistic Stereotypes & Prejudices in Inter-Ethnic Conflicts in Eldoret, Kenya Copyright © Martin Situma, 2020 Martin Situma, Eldoret, Kenya All Rights Reserved Cover design by Exceller Open using resources from Pixabay.com The book has been published with all reasonable efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. 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ISBN: 978-81-948205-4-3 First published in India in 2020 by Exceller Open Exceller Open www.excelleropen.com DEDICATION To my beloved friend and supportive wife Pamela Cheruto Kosgei To my dear sons Neville Kiprono Fabian Sidney Cheruiyot Kabaka Damian Kipkemoi Tabalia You stood by me in prayer through it all. Thank you! DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for the award of a degree in any other University. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My foremost appreciation goes to everyone whose inspiration, criticism and contribution enabled me to complete this degree. I thank God for according me good health and strength throughout the years. This thesis would not be what it is without the concerted effort of my two supervisors, Dr. Kirigia Kiruji Eliud and Dr. Evelyn Mahero. The constructive criticism and professional guidance I received from them is invaluable. They were both very resourceful and tireless in their effort to see that the thesis was through. I thank them for their patience with me and sincerely appreciate the valuable contribution they have made to this work. In a special way I thank Professor Felicia Yieke for her encouragement, invaluable guidance and advice in the course of this study. I sincerely thank Dr. A. Rutere who gave me very insightful comments to help shape my work at initial stages and encouraged me to keep going. I also appreciate Dr. Caroline Kinuu who constantly encouraged me to keep going on, even in times of when difficulties seemed insurmountable. Thank you so much for your inspiration and kind words. My profound gratitude goes to the lecturers in the Department; Professor Vicky Khasandi, Professor Nabea, Professor Onyango, Dr. Kamau Goro and Dr. Ndambuki. Your insightful comments during various presentations contributed immensely to making this work better. I am greatly indebted to two very special people; my friend Raphael Murei for readily accepting to read through my work for editing purposes and my brother in-law, Ezekiel Rono, for his encouragement and unwavering financial support. Though my late parents, Simon Tabalia and Agnes Tabalia, are not there physically to witness this achievement, I sincerely appreciate the strong religious and moral foundation and inspiration upon which this achievement is based. I also appreciate my late brother John Tabalia for his academic mentorship; my brothers, Anthony and family; Peter and family; my sister Janet Nambuye and Cousin Patrick Machukhu. Thank you for your love, support, and unwavering belief in me. Without you, I would not be the person I am today. Though I may not be able to mention by name everybody who supported me during my study, I do sincerely appreciate everyone who, in one way or the other, participated in making this work a reality. May the Almighty God bless you all. ABSTRACT The Kenyan nation, as constituted from its historical past, is ethnically diverse with over forty-two (42) ethnic communities living harmoniously. In recent years, however, there have been heightened ethnic conflicts whose cause(s) is not well understood. Linguistic stereotyping and prejudice, now christened “hate speech”, has often been cited as a contributory factor to these conflicts. Linguistic stereotyping and prejudice is not only a problem in Kenya but also affects the East African region, Africa and other parts of the world. But it is not clear what role stereotyping and prejudice actually plays in social conflicts. Indeed there has not been an in-depth study on this matter. This study examines and analyses the role of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices in ethnic conflicts in Eldoret, Kenya. The study had five objectives; to establish the form, language and use of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices in fuelling ethnic conflicts in Eldoret; to find out the strategies and main themes in linguistic stereotypes and prejudices and how they are manifested in Eldoret; to investigate the possible causes of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices based conflicts in Eldoret; to find out the social impact of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices on social harmony in Eldoret community and to establish the strategies to counter the effects of linguistic stereotyping and prejudice for national cohesion and integration in Kenya. An ethnographically inspired qualitative research design was adopted for the study. The study used the following theories for data generation and interpretation; Relevance theory propagated by Daniel Sperber and Deidre Wilson, the Social Identity theory by Henri Tajfel and Allport’s Scale of Prejudice Model guided the study’s data generation and interpretation. The research instruments used included structured and semi- structured questionnaires, open-ended questionnaires, oral face to face interviews and observation schedules. There was a purposive sample of five clusters of ethnic group concentrations. A random sample of fifty respondents, ten from each group, was chosen from a diverse population of the majority and minority communities living in Eldoret. The town’s population is estimated at three hundred and eighty five thousand, one hundred and forty-five (385, 145) people – comprising the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Luhya, Luo and Kisii communities. Each cohort of respondents was randomly drawn from the local secondary schools, churches, local leadership, hospitals, administration, Jua Kali industry, hawkers and the public transport. Collected data was compiled, translated, analysed and interpreted using descriptive qualitative methods. The findings of the study include; form and language of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices, strategies and the main themes of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices communication and their role in interethnic conflicts, the causes of linguistic stereotypes and prejudices based conflicts, the social impact of linguistic stereotypes and prejudice on social harmony, strategies to employ to counter the effect of ethnic stereotypes and prejudices for national cohesion and integration in Kenya. It is hoped that the results of this study will benefit researchers in applied linguistics, social psychologists, political scientists, policy- makers and the general public. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations and Acronyms Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Literature Review......................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 3: Research Methodology .............................................................................................. 66 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation ......................................................................... 73 Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................ 122 References ............................................................................................................................................ 131 Appendices Appendix I: Interview Schedule................................................................................................. 152 Appendix II: Observation Schedule .......................................................................................... 156 Appendix III: Map of the Study Area ....................................................................................... 158 Appendix IV: Research Authorization .................................................................................... 159 Appendix V: Research Permit ..................................................................................................... 160 LIST