Making law in rural Kenya

The data set consists of a 65 minute video which provides direct insight into the origin and current functioning of the iritongo vigilante movement in Kuria East District in 2008/9 and the beginning of a state of war in the neighbouring District of Kuria West. In addition, a number of interviews with key personnel have been transcribed and translated into English. These would be of most use to other researchers in conjunction with the film, giving supplementary information. Theses interviews would be difficult to interpret without the aid of the film, and users may require knowledge of the particular political, historical and cultural situation of the Kuria of Kenya. The film provides information on this, as do the already published articles. <p>This project aims to contribute to political anthropology and policy through ethnographic research into community policing initiatives in rural Kenya. Problems of governance have become a focus of attention in Africa. At the local level, the lack of capacity and/or the systemic corruption of the official agents of law enforcement, the police and judiciary, have spawned a mass of vigilante-type movements. This proposal focuses on one such movement in Kenya known as sungusungu. Research will concentrate on the modus operandi of this movement and its complex relationship to the state. A major part of the project will be to make a film/DVD as an instrument of the research involving the active participation of one such group in Kuria District. This film will complement the academic writing and be widely available as a research resource and for engaging with policy makers. Collaboration between the anthropologist and a documentary film-maker will also involve an element of mutual training and aims to make a contribution to visual anthropology through ethnographic film.</p>