NCIC research reveals that university graduates are more tribal than high school drop-outs

Students who have completed secondary school education are more likely to accept people from other ethnic communities compared to university graduates, it has emerged.

Top public university management teams were on Tuesday shocked to learn that tolerance levels of students who pass through their institutions are very low–at only 11 per cent.

And this is only three per cent higher than tolerance levels of persons who did not attend any primary school education at all.

National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chairman Francis Ole Kaparo said those who go through university and fail to complete their education have higher tolerance levels– 14 per cent– compared to graduates.

"The universities must know that they are not doing something right because everyone expects that the exposure that comes with university education should make one more tolerant," said Kaparo.

Making a presentation to a meeting of public university vice chancellors, chancellors and Councils, Kaparo said it is shocking that each university has ethnic groups and clubs.

"Why can't they convert those clubs into district/sub county or county clubs where more than one community is represented?" said Kaparo.

The NCIC data seen by The Standard also shows that those who never went to school have the least tolerance levels of persons from other communities.

Kaparo said that Kenyans who never went to school at all have a tolerance level of seven per cent.

Those who went to primary school but never completed their education share the same tolerance level.

This means that those who have not gone through primary education and those who failed to complete learning at that lower level find it difficult to accept persons from other ethnic communities.

Secondary education tolerance levels are higher but NCIC terms it too little.

Kaparo said those who went through secondary school but did not complete have tolerance level of 14 per cent, while those who completed high school registered 34 percent.

"This is still very low because 34 per cent is still bellow 50 per cent. And this means that a lot of work is still needed to be done across all education levels," he said.

Kaparo said according to the 2013 index, the country's Social Cohesion Index stands at 56.3 per cent.

He said in rural Kenya, cohesion index is only 56.6 per cent while in towns the index is 57.09 per cent.

Kaparo said high levels of unemployment especially among the youth, longstanding land and boundaries disputes; perceived marginalization and poor resource distribution and utilization are major causes to social instability that impact negatively national cohesion and integration.

He warned that recurrent socio-political upheavals are symptoms of a nation that lacks unity and national identity, which may lead to open hostilities amongst groups and build up of suspicions.

He said failure to address socio-political disorders also leads to situations where communities believe that their views are always right.

"This also leads to fervent socio-political tensions and widespread intermittent violence," said Kaparo