Mukuna, Truphena E.Mutsotso, Stanley N.2026-04-172026-04-172015-04-17Mukuna, E. T. & Mutsotso, S. N. (2015). Student Activism, Political Party Alliances and Election Violence in Kenyan Public Universities. In P.B. Mihyo, Election Process Management and Election Based-Violence in Eastern and Southern Africa (pp. 47-90). OSSREA.978-99944-55-85-0http://erepository.kibu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/11560Chapter within a BookStudent leaders, the world over, have been known to be political. Some of the present-day political leaders were once university student leaders. University students usually play an essential role in generating a critical mass during protests. Today, there is an emerging trend of university student leaders being aligned to political parties. Public universities in Kenya strive to remain democratic in the execution of their mandate. This has resulted in a trend whereby all public universities organise student elections for students’ self-determination and governance. Student activism and electioneering is, however, generally punctuated by great passion that soon metamorphoses into violence and strife. Elections and the resulting violence are now common phenomena that have evolved over the years in Kenya and have become a cancer intertwined with students’ election administration and the resultant violence. The fear of violence supercedes all other factors nowadays before the conduct of elections in the universities. Budget costs towards security of the process have always been high and the police must always be ready to intervene in anti-riot gear. There are allegations that the student leaders are sponsored by politicians; therefore, the voting is done along political party alliances, and religious and ethnic lines. This study was conducted among student leaders, registrars in charge of academics and deans of students of three public universities, namely, Masinde Muliro University, Maasai Mara University and Kibabii University College. The objectives of the study were to determine student leaders’ role in university governance; determine factors that lead to student election violence; establish student involvement in political parties; ascertain the levels of democracy in student elections and political parties’ elections; and determine the characteristics of student activism in Kenya today. The study established that there is a significant relationship between student activism and political alliances. It was, therefore, concluded that student activism in Kenya is dictated by ethnicity and political party alliances, which have significantly contributed to sycophancy, poor leadership and a complacent student body. Student participation in politics in Kenya has been instrumental in the development of the civil society and national political leadership. Consequently, politicisation of student activism, on the one hand, cannot be disentangled from political party alliances, and on the other hand, de-politicisation of student activism would only undermine liberty and democracy in the university.enStudent activismelection violencepolitical party alliancespublic universities.Book chapter