11 Aug 2014 Pastoralist Peace Education and Awareness Campaign

Communication for Peace

Kenya

In Northern Kenya, the Kenya Pastoralist Journalist Network (KPJN) carried out a peace education and awareness project to address the different factors that fuel conflict and retard development, including cattle rustling, direct marginalization, resource competition (e.g. water, pasture and salt licks), prevalence of small arms and light weapons. The project stressed traditional governance systems and traditional methods of conflict resolution, promoted understanding and exchange between rival communities, trained ex-combatants on alternative livelihoods and re-integration into society. The programme was educative and brought sense of inter-clan belongings and relationships amongst various clans living in the vast marginalized province of Kenya. Community outreach was done in 16 hotspots, imparting the skills of peace education and conflict resolution to women pastoralists, pastoralist men, elders, rehabilitated ex-combatants at the village levels and specifically in grazing areas and at watering points in the region. Awareness campaigns were conducted aimed at developing mediation and conflict prevention capacities of the communities involved by establishing mechanisms at the village level through elders and women leaders in solving inter-clan problems that could result into conflict and animosity. The project also assisted pastoralist communities to pursue other socio-economic activities and to open up the conflict zones to community development, addressing pertinent issues like resettlement of displaced families, rehabilitation and setting up social amenities, and provision of basic needs and improvement of infrastructures.

Final Report

Conflict and Peace Building