small arms and light weapons among pastoral groups in the kenya ...

SALW AMONG PASTORAL GROUPS 65
enormously since the late-1970s because of increased supply. At that time,
a gun could cost up to 70–150 cows, as noted by a Jie:
When my family got our gun, we paid 25 heads of cattle. Then the guns were very
rare, we bought from dealers from Labalangit. Before 1979 Moroto barracks intervention,
we used to get the guns from the Turkana during peacetime at 150 cattle. 94
During the 1990s, the cost of a gun was between 10–30 cows. By May–
June 2001, at the start of the research, guns were being exchanged for five
to ten cows in Upe Pokot and three bulls at the source. In 2003–4, an
AK47 cost two to three cows at the source. A Jie who got guns directly
from Sudan stated ‘We are very happy to buy the gun at two cows because
it makes it easy to own a gun’. Consultation with the elders and some
members of the community noted that 40–50 goats are also equivalent to a
gun. In Kenya, prices have reduced from 30–100 cows in the 1970s,
depending on the area, to three to six cows more recently. Prices at the
source are lower because of availability. In Moroto, the current price of a
gun will be at most five bulls if sold to a fellow Karimojong resident within
Matheniko and Bokora. But, at the cross-border level, if sold to a Turkana,
the Turkana will have to pay five to eight oxen or more for an original
Russian AK47.
The weekly markets at Kangole (Mondays) and Moroto (Thursdays) are
different in that cash is the means of exchange rather than barter. Those
who use these markets are looking to generate cash, which is required to buy
certain consumer goods. At these markets, the going rate for a gun in 2001
was around 150,000 UgSh, which is equivalent to approximately UK£45.
The price in 2003–4 was between 200,000 and 400,000 UgSh per gun. At
Nakapelimoru and Panyangara in Kotido, which are near the source, the
2005 prices ranged from 250,000 to 350,000 UgSh or three to five bulls. 95
The recent increases may be explained by the disarmament attempts in
2001 and since September 2004 till date. One must ask the question whether
this is explained by reduced supply because of the collection of guns or by
increased demand because of the community’s perceived need to re-arm.
The type of guns also determines the price. The commonest gun is the
AK47. The SAR (Chinese made) is however cheaper, costing 150,000–
200,000 UgSh or one to two cows at the source. The G3 is more expensive,
because it does not get hot and because it is rare, which is to the credit
of the Kenya government which is the main source! With the introduction
of cash sales, arms traders can buy highly desirable goods such as radios,
mobile phones (a network was placed in Karamoja in 2003), and general
94. Interviews in Karamoja, 2001–4.
95. Interviews with warriors and others, Nakapelimoru and Panyangara, August 2005.