We cannot continue using old tools to address new conflicts
Opinion
By
Regina Mwendwa
| Mar 16, 2026
Security officers clear Loruk road after residents blocked it to protest killings by bandits. [File, Standard]
The 21 st century conflicts cannot be solved by the 1980s mechanisms of conflict resolution. Conflicts have changed and evolved over time and so should our approaches. In Kenya, the evolution from traditional banditry, as we knew it, to organised movements requires an exit from traditionally tracking animals using footprints to modern technology-facilitated approaches.
Mary Kaldor, a renowned peace studies scholar, came up with a concept of ‘old and new wars’. According to Kaldor, ‘old wars’ involved interstate conflicts where the focus was the external enemy and military power was used while ‘new wars’ (the ones we are dealing with now) are mainly driven by internal issues like globalisation, state failure and identity related issues.
Kenya’s conflict landscape has emulated this global shift. Post-independence the country struggled mainly with land conflicts and ethnic divisions. Today, these conflict drivers have changed to complex threats. Resource-based conflicts and violent extremism persists, climate change impact, particularly the persistent drough, triggers water and pasture conflict. Urban centres are also facing advanced kind of conflicts ranging from organised criminal gangs to digital facilitated conflict. Misinformation, malinformation, disinformation and hate speech are being used to amplify ethnic tensions faster than before.
Counter strategies now have to move from managing hate speech on outdoor political gathering to online spaces because relying on outdated strategies to address these modern challenges is not working. On this, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission recently launched guidelines on monitoring social media platforms.
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During the 2024 Gen Z protests and the subsequent demonstrations, we saw this evolution in real time. Young people used social media platforms to hold the State accountable. This level of digital coordination shows that modern conflict moves faster than traditional security systems can respond, making it clear that we must rethink and update our strategies.
Through it all, the volatility of our electoral cycle, ‘our very own thorn in the flesh’ often makes the challenges we already face even worse. For instance, we are in 2026, but it already feels like the 2027 elections are just around the corner. The early start to political campaigns, along with rising tensions and occasional violence, are already affecting how the country runs. Businesses are hesitant to open and Kenyans are avoiding going to work during political rallies and the ordinary citizen is feeling the strain.
The consequences of violence to economic development cannot be over emphasized. For instance, during the 2007/2008 post-election violence, the
economic growth dropped. Infrastructure including roads and homes was destroyed, and livelihoods were lost, further deepening inequality. Foreign investors pulled out of Kenya due to the instability. And to manage the insecurity at the time the government had to divert resources which would otherwise have been used for development towards responding to the violence.
For decades, deploying security officers was the default response to insecurity. However, today, when unlawful networks are better coordinated and faster, that is not enough. In the past, stolen livestock would be easily recovered by following footsteps and consulting local communities. Today, bandits use vehicles to move animals faster and leave no trail behind. Kenya’s security apparatus continues to evolve to tackle such threats.
Ms Mwendwa is a social cohesion and gender expert