In early 1964, less than a month after gaining independence, Kenya found itself in the middle of a civil war. Riots, attacks on police stations and assassinations quickly placed the Northern Border District (NFD) under a state of emergency as pre-existing conflicts intensified. British political decisions during the colonial era played the most significant role in dividing the country between the newly formed Kenyan government and the Somalis of northern Kenya, who wanted to unite with the Somali Republic. In an attempt to marginalize the secessionist movement, President Jomo Kenyatta coined the term shifta, or "bandit" in Oromo, to classify the military wing of the Northern Province People's Progressive Party (NPPPP) responsible for anti-government raids. The stigma this created effectively widened the gap between full Kenyans and Kenyan Somalis, even though only a portion of the latter were actually involved in incidents of violence. Kenyan authorities responded to Shifta's threats by forcing all Somalis in Kenya to abandon their way of life and assimilate into dominant traditions. In 1964, political, economic and social clashes between Shifta and the Kenyans led to a four-year conflict that challenged the unity of the nation. Today in the Philippines, the Muslim minority residing in Mindanao is forming a similar secessionist movement. Their situation is reminiscent of Kenya before the war, but with good governance, Filipinos and Muslims still have a chance to coexist peacefully. The deepest crack in Kenya's solidarity stems from political problems decades earlier. In the 1920s, the British prioritized their own goals over the plight of natives, drawing arbitrary boundaries that ignored the widespread presence of ethnic groups, such as... middle of paper ..... . a war to prevent further conflicts in the country. their own country. In Kenya, the lack of political, economic and social integration of Somalis with Kenyans meant that the Shifta War was inevitable. Pan-Somali irredentism had arisen from political marginalization as early as 1920, when the British government administered the NFD as a united region in its own right, but also as an entirely separate region from Kenya. The economic disparities between pastoralism and agricultural practices have only accentuated this difference and given rise to discrimination propagated by the government against Somalis. In addition to secessionist aspirations, Kenya's united front facade has been demolished by ethno-religious differences. Perhaps the suffering of an entire population in Kenya will compel Filipino officials to take more peaceful steps and encourage ethnic integration in the ongoing conflict in Mindanao..