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Top1. Introduction
As use of social media continues to grow tremendously in Kenya, this is affecting the way youths engage socially and politically (Mutahi & Kimari, 2017). Kenyan youths have been on the spotlight for misinformed reactions to unverified information. As confirmed by leading social media platforms, circulation of unverified information is being witnessed globally courtesy of social media. There have been incidences of unwarranted anxiety and violence arising from such reactionary behavior, especially among youth due to lack of critical interrogation and verification of digital content. From a political perspective, some users with selfish interests have also exploited the weakness of ignorant users to propel misinformation and propagate their ill-informed agendas through social media (iHub & Ushahidi, 2013; (Ojoka & Achol, 2017). This has mainly affected the youth across the globe especially in relation to escalating of electoral violence (Kahne et al., 2016). For instance, electoral violence has been witnessed in recent general elections in Kenya among youth in vulnerable communities within major cities. Fischer (2002) defines electoral violence or conflict as “any random or organized act that seeks to determine, delay, or otherwise influence an electoral process through threat, verbal intimidation, hate speech, disinformation, physical assault, forced protection, blackmail, and destruction of property or assassination” (p. 3). Victims of electoral violence include people, property, and election data (Burchard, 2016). Electoral violence, especially recurrent, is a manifestation of some widespread unaddressed needs, grievances, and tensions which can be considered a form of injustice (Bekoe, 2010). As use of social media continues to become commonplace for election discourse, this phenomenon warrants attention in today’s society in order to address potential implications. However, there is a gap in the literature as it lacks sufficient theoretical basis and applied knowledge in this area. There is a knowledge gap in regard to how social media has influenced existence of peace before, during, and after elections. As noted by Alava et al. (2017) most of existing studies have not offered adequate conceptual and contextual knowledge, hence need for the current study.
This paper is based on the perspectives that recognize peace as an enabler of sustainable development and human empowerment. The role of youth and other vulnerable groups in building and sustaining peace is paramount and needs to be promoted in line with Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 2250 (The World Urban Forum, 2018). Sustainable development goals (SDGs), and particularly goals 11 and 16, focus on promoting sustainable societies and inclusivity through reducing violence and injustices in the society. This focus encompasses a range of policy objectives including rule of law and equal access to justice, accountable and transparent institutions, participatory and inclusive decision-making, access to information and protection of fundamental freedom and national capacity to mitigate violence among others (Akinyetun et al., 2021; Luckham, 2017). These objectives align with global expert views on peace and mitigation of violence as crucial ingredients for sustainable growth and development (Smith, 2009). While these policy objectives are spelt out clearly in national agenda of many developing countries, the reality is not a representation of the desirable coexistence and peace among communities (Goldsmith, 2015; White, 2020). This is particularly a pertinent issue in regard to prevalence of electoral violence and its proliferation among the less-advantaged (vulnerable) urban communities in many cities within developing nations and emerging democracies like Kenya (Aboagye, Kipgen, & Nwuche, 2020; Akinyetun et al., 2021; Birch et al., 2020; Ojoka & Achol, 2017). This phenomenon continues to be more visible and detrimental in the recent years especially during the election period.