| dc.description.abstract | The study looks at the role of ethnicity in land conflict in Mount Elgon region in Western
Kenya. Land-based conflicts occur with rhythmic regulating in Kenya, often in
connection with moments of national political importance. The festering conflict in
Mount Elgon region, while embedded in post-colonial land politics and other ongoing
land conflicts, has erupted disastrously since 2006. During the finalization of land
allocations, some settled members of the Soy clan were forced to relocate and formed the
Sabaot land Defence Force (SLDF). Although the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) have
since brutally restored order, this has come at a major human cost and a final resolution
remain in doubt.
Within the study, the root cause of conflict in the Mount Elgon region is indisputably
land, specifically growing competition and issues of unequal access and distribution. The
problem can be traced back to colonial policies of land dispossession and the subsequent
inaction of the post-colonial government. The interaction of pre-existing factors;
including a history of violence in the region, ethnonatioalist politics and local economic
prospects, inflamed the conflict. The presence of multiple grievances, and the
interrelations of clientists networks at the local and national levels, contributed to the
geographic reach and duration of the conflict.
It is argued that conflict resolution process involved initial government response centred
on a dialogue and a flexible multi-pronged approach. With the failure of this strategy the
government deployed the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in a military campaign, resulting
in major success in terms of apprehending militia and recovering weapons.
The challenges of the land conflict as a result of ethnicity can be resolved using the following measures recommended as steps towards restoring community harmony and
defusing the land issue; streamlining all military activity and transparently addressing
allegations of human rights abuses would restore faith in the working of the state. On the
other hand proposals of amnesty for militia risks perpetuating a culture of impunity and
are thus inappropriate; border surveillance, and cooperation between Kenyan and
Ugandan forces, is another relevant issue. This needs to be addressed in order to prevent
militia from re-launching their activities from the Ugandan side; the Kenya government
should play a role in aiding displaced persons as they begin their lives again. An
important step would be to compensate innocent civilians who lost property as a result of
the conflict, through an appropriate mechanism. | en_US |
