Conflicts in Laikipia, 1979-2017

Abstract

This study examines the sources and impacts of conflicts in Laikipia. It further explores resilience, coping mechanisms, and initiatives to mitigate these conflicts. It is anchored on the Environmental Scarcity Theory, which contends that scarcity alone cannot cause conflict unless it intersects with other factors such as inequality, migration, and weak state institutions. The study was conducted in Ol Moran, Thome, and Lorien areas of Laikipia County. Data was obtained from both secondary sources and oral interviews. The study used the snowballing sampling technique to identify respondents and interviewed them using a question guide. The oral data was analyzed using coding and meta-coding to identify key themes. The study found that the conflicts in Laikipia are shaped by the diversity of actors and the region’s social, political, economic, and historical dynamics. The divergent views on land, nature, and resource-use are the building blocks for the intractable conflicts. Political leaders have manipulated historical grievances to incite violence to achieve their political goals, particularly during the electioneering period, explaining why the conflict peaked in 2017. Sources often overlap and evolve, and the proximate issues that trigger violent expression do not necessarily prolong the conflict. The conflicts have severely impacted livelihoods, forcing communities to devise coping mechanisms and retreat to alternative livelihood sources. For instance, pastoralist communities started rearing goats and camels because they are more resilient to changing rangeland ecosystems. Continued mobility stood out as the primary resilient mechanism for pastoralists. However, unrestricted mobility defies boundaries, leading to disputes and intensifying conflicts between pastoralists and other land users. As a response mechanism, communities have acquired sophisticated weapons for defense as well as for aggression. The increased availability of small arms and light weapons has intensified the conflict and facilitated the commercialization of cattle rustling, further escalating the conflict. Despite the state interventions through policies and conflict-resolution mechanisms, little has been achieved. The efforts to silence the guns have been fraught with pitfalls, adding a new dynamic to the conflict. Additionally, repetitive media stereotypic images and persistent flawed framing of pastoralism and rangelands have contributed to the conflict. The flawed media narratives influence public perceptions and government policies, often complicating the conflict rather than addressing the ultimate conflicts. The study contributes to the understanding of resource-based conflict by examining the holistic context of a conflict. It dissents from the notion that resource scarcity alone causes conflicts, bringing to the fore the interplay of evolving conflict dynamics, historical grievances, and limited government presence and interventions.