V OLUME 17 NO 1 DOI: 10.20940/JAE/2018/v17i1a2 '2, -$(YLD2 :+(1 $ &203$75,27 %(&20(6 $ )2( Political Parties and Violent Elections in Kenya and South Africa John Rabuogi Ahere -RKQ 5DEXRJL $KHUH LV D FRQﾁLFW PDQDJHPHQW SUDFWLWLRQHU DQG UHVHDUFKHU with interest in international politics and its linkage to peace, security and development. He is currently a PhD candidate of Peace Studies at the 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 1HZ (QJODQG LQ $UPLGDOH $XVWUDOLD $%675$&7 This paper examines the operations of political parties in Kenya and South Africa and provides an analysis of how such operations have become drivers of election violence. The paper contends that as a result of the structure of political parties and how they operate, they have contributed to the violence that has become an endemic feature of the electoral processes in both countries. ,Q .HQ\D PRVW HOHFWLRQ YLROHQFH KDV EHHQ EHWZHHQ VXSSRUWHUV RI GLͿHUHQW political parties who contest election outcomes. In South Africa, even though there were many incidents of inter-party violence in the 1990s, recent trends indicate reductions of the same but with an increase in intra-party violence, especially over disputed party lists. Keywords: political parties, election violence, Kenya, South Africa ,1752'8&7,21 In many African countries, discussions about upcoming general elections often focus on the uncertainties that accompany them. This is due to the fact that political YLROHQFH KDV EHFRPH D IHDWXUH LQ PDQ\ RI WKHVH HOHFWLRQV 7KHUH DUH GLͿHUHQW viewpoints regarding this recurrence of violence. Some attribute it to weak political and electoral institutions whose malfeasance encourages brinkmanship E\ SROLWLFDO RSSRQHQWV NHHQ WR KDYH DQ HGJH RYHU HDFK RWKHU .LPHPLD S 2WKHUV DWWULEXWH HOHFWLRQ YLROHQFH WR DFFXPXODWHG VWUXFWXUDO SUREOHPV ZKLFK KDYH QRW EHHQ DGGUHVVHG $KHUH S Elections in Kenya and South Africa have been plagued by violence. Ruteere DQG :DLUXUL S DUP WKDW VLQFH HYHU\ JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQ F\FOH LQ