Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa.pdf - Project Ploughshares

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Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa3. KenyaBox 3.2.2. Tragedy on International Peace DayOn 21 September 2006, NGOs, including WVK, organised anevent for World Peace Day. Held at Kainuk in Turkana territory,the Turkana were joined by Pokot, Marakwet, and Ilchamuselders, youth, traditional dancers, media representatives andschool children in a music festival about peace. The festival,which took place throughout the day, was held in a field behindthe shops where the community has meetings. Travel wasa challenge, requiring trucks to be hired from the differentdistricts. Interactions during the day were successful. Nearthe end of the day, however, a report came that five childrenhad been killed by Pokot warriors at a school 10 km away.The head teacher from the school brought the news. Therewas serious commotion. The Turkana wanted to kill thePokot at the festival. WVK staff restrained the Turkanauntil transportation could be arranged and all the Pokot leftin a convoy. WVK staff then went to the school and saw thechildren who had been killed. It apparently helped that theTurkana saw that there was sympathy for their loss. An NCCKpastor prayed with them. Two injured children were taken toget medical help.Now there is a district HQ, closer to the borderof Turkana, which is a hot spot. With the DistrictCommissioner around, the Pokot realize that their raidsare pointless, since stolen animals will be recovered. SinceJanuary 2008, the people from central Pokot have not goneto Turkana to raid. There have been raids in Turkana, butnot by people from central Pokot.Government representatives were described as now beingparticipants in meetings on security, while previously there wasno relationship between the government and the Pokot andTurkana.WVK’s work was credited with helping other NGOs to meettheir goals. Many NGOs were affected by the violence andwhen WVK put an effort into peacebuilding, NGOs and thechurches benefited from the stability. We heard reports ofprogress toward sustainable development:The warriors are celebrated [traditionally for their raidingactivities], but new options are needed for them. Followinga trip for warriors, two of them from Marakwet foundalternative activities. One began a business (a shop) andthe other started a peace music club and has produced aCD “Music for Peace.”At several points in interviews the Mapotu project was creditedwith providing money to warriors to start businesses. WVKstaff confirmed that this was not part of the Mapotu projectbut they did not know which NGO may have provided thisassistance. There was also a report of 100 guns being handed inby the Turkana, but again the researchers found out later thatWVK was not involved in this initiative.Suggested changes to improve WVK peacebuildingactivitiesWhen asked what WVK could do to improve its peacebuildingactivities, people responded with answers that combined thepeacebuilding and development themes. These were describedas interconnected challenges that must be addressed in tandem.Some suggestions for WVK were:• Train warriors for alternative means of livelihood.• Provide greater means of transport. Vehicles are needed forWVK peace monitors because motorcycles are not safe inareas where bandits are operating.• Support small peace committees at the community level.• Get in touch with the chiefs to give training to the youthwho are involved in highway robbery, to work with both forchange.• Encourage and supply sports teams in different age groups.• Create more common markets that would bring Pokot andTurkana together.• Support women to do more meeting with people to promotepeace.• Laibons could be spoken to so they can get to the people andexplain the need for peace.• Greater assistance could be given to the casualties of the raids.• More meetings could be facilitated in the interior – not just inthe towns and trading centres but at the kraals.30
Addressing Armed Violence in East Africa3. KenyaSome of the local officials who were familiar with WVK ADPsand the internal organisation of WVK provided constructivecomments on how WVK could better organise itself tocombine development and peacebuilding:• Better financing and more discretion for local peace monitorsin deciding how to use available funding.• Peace monitors need a means of transportation to reach allthe places that they want to go.• WVK should mainstream peace in projects and not have twoseparate administration structures; have one person devotedto this, so that peace is incorporated into ADPs.Other improvements suggestedDespite positive reports of WV peacebuilding activities, it wasnoted that helping people change their attitudes and increasingsupport for peace does not necessarily complete the package. Aformer warrior said that WVK peacebuilding programmes had“built peace in his heart, but he was now poor and sufferingbecause his cattle had been taken.”The research team was interested in knowing what peoplethought generally could be done to reduce armed violenceand improve their situation. A key role was indicated forpolice action in breaking the cycle of retaliation for raids, aswell as lowering the number of deaths and injuries by raiders.Some people interviewed stated that there was more successin reducing retaliation between Pokot and Marakwet thanbetween Pokot and Turkana. More government administrativeunits close to the border areas would help to decrease thenumber of raids.In interviews people indicated a desire to increase advocacywork with government leaders, with the assistance of WVK,otherwise security issues would not be addressed. Advocacyshould include urging the government to provide improvedsecurity and seal the border routes for importing weapons.The government should also be encouraged to engage at thenational level to, for example, turn the local militia into trainedpolice. Advocacy should also target the improvement ofinfrastructure.Education was often referred to as part of the solution to armedviolence by providing activity for idle youth, preparing peoplefor alternative viewpoints and livelihood possibilities, andgenerally increasing people’s horizons. At the same time, somecomments suggested that the current education system does notalways suit pastoralists:• “Education can be problematic if herders need to send theirchildren to boarding schools. Bad experiences, such as girlscoming back pregnant, discourage support for schooling.However, schools will feed children during times of foodscarcity.”• “Mobile schools with suitable curriculum are needed.”• “When people have gone to school, convincing them not toengage in raids is easier.”• “Adult learning centres are needed.”• “Develop people by educating them, taking schools to them.In areas where people are fighting, there aren’t schools.We need to have one big boarding school or mobile feederschools.”Business opportunities are needed to provide alternativelivelihoods:• Increased cooperative activities between the Turkana andPokot, such as shared farming, were seen as a way of buildingpeace. The Pokot and Turkana had a joint irrigation schemefor their fields that helped them come together.• A factory for meat processing would allow people to bringlivestock and do business together.• Upgraded infrastructure, such as improved roads, will makepossible more business opportunities.The role of women in creating awareness and spreadingmessages of peace was emphasised:• “The women want more help getting out to rural areas, [to]the pastures and grazing fields where people are keeping theircattle, to talk to people with guns. They also want help to goand talk to politicians to discuss these issues.”• “Women want to attend barazas [public community meetings]and to speak to government and ask what is being done toreduce the violence.”31
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