Conflict Resolution among Pastoral Communities in West Pokot County, Kenya: A Missing Link

Abstract

Conflicts and conflict resolutions among pastoral communities are not new phenomena. Among the pastoral communities living in arid and semi arid environments of Kenya, conflicts over control of and access to natural resources are a common phenomenon. Despite the increase in peace building initiatives conflicts in these areas are far from ending resulting in conflict-torn pastoral regions. The current study investigated conflict and conflict resolution strategies in West Pokot County. The specific objectives of the study were to: (a) identify the sources of conflict among the pastoral communities in West Pokot County, (b) examine the conflict resolution initiatives in the county and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of peace building initiative in conflict resolution. The main method of data collection was scheduled interviews. The study established that the main source of conflicts was control over and access to natural resources particularly pasture and water an in fewer instances land (intra-conflicts) followed by livestock raids and politically initiated conflicts. Through peace building initiatives, decreased incidences of historical conflict between pastoral communities and the Pokots (living in West Pokot County) were established but not with conflicts associated with natural resources. Scarcity of pasture and water, which is a manifest of the effects of climate change, negates the attempts made at national and local levels to resolve conflicts. However, the aspect of climate change mitigation was absent in all peace building initiatives in the county. The study established a missing link in conflict resolution initiatives and therefore recommends that mitigation of climate change should be the focal point in addressing conflict in pastoral regions since natural resources, which pastoralists entirely depend on, are depleting at an alarming rate due to the changes in climatic patterns.