The role of elite rivalry and ethnic politics in livestock raids in northern Kenya

Abstract

This paper argues that livestock raids and pastoralists’ competition over water and pastures in north-western Kenya are manifestations of local ethnic political contests and rivalries. The culture of raiding among the Samburu, Turkana, Pokot, Borana, Gabra and Rendille communities has changed over the last 40 years. Whereas elders were once the gatekeepers of communal institutions, today new actors are at the forefront of new forms of violent raids. Among Samburu and Turkana communities, politicians and shrewd businessmen have emerged to exploit ethnic rivalry that exists between these groups and use it to mobilise raids. These political and business elites play influencing roles in raiding by paying and arming warriors to carry out raids. Competition for political influence is closely intertwined with competition over scarce water resources and grazing pastures among Turkana and Samburu. Given that pastoralists survive on decreasing pasture and water resources, our study shows that political elites arm their communities during the dry season to gain the upper hand in contests over access to limited resources. Livestock raids no longer occur in the traditional context of restocking, but rather as an expression and manifestation of local ethnic politics and political contests between ethnic kingpins. The study uses primary field data from a case study collected through in-depth interviews, oral history and group discussions with various actors.

Oil extraction and the changing dynamics of pastoral conflicts: a conjoint experiment in Turkana, Kenya

“…Several studies document how the commercialisation of livestock raiding (Mkutu 2007; Eaton 2010; Stites & Howe 2019) intensified pastoral conflicts by promoting individuals’ motivation to accumulate wealth. In addition, Okumu et al (2017) find that elites interested in economic gains mobilised commercialised raiding, making the existing ethnic cleavages salient. Okumu et al (2017) also expected that the discovery of oil is likely to exacerbate cross-ethnic conflict because competition for oil wealth among elites is likely to increase.…”

Changes to water management and declining pastoral resilience in Marsabit County, northern Kenya: The example of Gabra wells

“…As different aspects of the Gabra life are interlinked, the rules that governed other aspects of the community, were applicable to communal areas such as water sources and the level and type of such fines could also depend on the rank of the culprit in the society. Violent conflicts over water sources are far from unknown, however (e.g., Mwangi, 2006; Witsenburg & Zaal, 2012), and while other factors including national politics and the ready availability of small arms have certainly exacerbated such conflict (Okumu et al, 2017), it is likely that these customary systems were not always as effective in the past as current narratives sometimes imply.…”

Patterns and Drivers of Communal Conflict in Kenya

“…Such conflicts have a long history and are rooted in pastoralist customs, where cattle raids have filled a dual function as a rite of passage as well as restocking herds or acquiring bridewealth. However, a focus only on the cattle-raiding dynamics underplays the political dimension of these conflicts, and a portrayal of violence as "tribal" and "traditional" has at times been an active strategy by authorities to downplay its importance and its connection to local and national politics (Greiner 2013;Okumu et al 2017;Schilling et al 2015). By implying that pastoralist livelihoods are inherently violent and conflictual, state authorities can simultaneously downplay their own failure to prevent or address these conflicts, and further underline the general marginalization and lack of accommodation of groups whose livelihoods do not easily fall in line with national agendas for development.…”

“…When taking a historical view of these conflicts, there is broad consensus that cattle raids have become increasingly violent over the past half century, and that the high level of armament among the involved communities have generated an arms race dynamic that further compounds insecurity (Mkutu 2008;Okumu et al 2017). These conflicts take place in areas where the state's presence is very limited and security poorly enforced, leading to self-defensive armament and pre-emptive violence; these dynamics in turn have been fueled by the inflow of small arms and light weapons (SALW) from war-affected neighboring countries (Mkutu 2008;Eaton 2012).…”

“…Firstly, as in other communal conflicts in Kenya, violent displacement and the renegotiation of boundaries can affect electoral outcomes. More directly, political elites have benefited financially from the raiding "industry", and have in turn allegedly provided weapons to raiders from their community (Greiner 2013;Okumu et al 2017). Border revisions by the central state have further fueled tensions; for instance, ahead of the 2013 elections local borders were redrawn so that the aforementioned Kapedo was "moved" from Turkana to Baringo County.…”