Security in Nothern Kenya

Copyright intellectual material owned by ;
Lokwang Ekitela Augustine, Capt (Rtd)
Project Coordinator- Conflict & Security Mapping at Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp

"This is to all my colleague security advisors deployed, consulting, writing/publishing, interested, following developments, making/influencing policy decisions, etc. on conflict & security challenges bedeviling the people and pastoral counties of Kenya, kindly follow my series of articles coming up soon on the little read & known about emerging concepts such as; social banditry, career banditry, the bandit economy, conflict entrepreneurs & commercialization of raids/rustling/banditry, etc on the subject area of pastoral conflict & insecurity.

I am conscious of the fact that many a writer/researchers have written widely about these areas and communities, however much of that work is superficial or too academic than local and pinned down to socio-cultural specifics that would objectively & directly establish local conflict & security problems and their corresponding local solutions to prevent/mitigate or to deescalate/manage conflict & insecurity amongst pastoral areas.

The problem we have had has been missed real and key local issues/problems and drivers of pastoral conflict/insecurity. I would say, the problem of missed real local issues has been historical, it that began with the 1st cluster of researchers who collected "Primary data" on conflict/insecurity issues in urban centres of these counties, towns such as Maralal, Kapenguria, Marigat, Isiolo, Marsabit, Lodwar, etc. to base their understanding of conflict & security challenges of those pastoral counties. All other follow on researchers/scholars on this subject area of research have been regurgitating academic findings influenced by the work of the 1st cluster of scholars/researchers. Therefore data on this conflict has been erratic or misrepresentation of the local issues in one way or another & demands review backwards in time.

Authentic, quality, unbiased and people-centered primary data exists in areas beyond pastoral towns (towns essentially represent to a large extend opinionated elites fanning the conflict, the towns are the places where elites live) of these counties, objective perspectives/accounts of the key drivers of pastoral conflict/insecurity is with the kraal elders, the herders, etc who most researchers have not effectively worked hard to reach or have had difficulty to access because of the conflict/insecurity itself, the rugged, remote, difficult, inaccessible, and reserve areas these kraals are essentially located.

As such, most field researchers on conflict/insecurity terminate in the said urban centres, and the correct perspective are never captured in the final findings which would normally be presented as expert position on the pastoral conflict/security.

It is therefore my conviction that enabling fellow practicing security professionals better understand pastoral conflict and insecurity through writing local & traditional dynamics beyond commonplace casual/superficial mentioning of terms such as; raids, rustling, banditry, etc. will provide them an in-depth understanding of the conflict to enable them facilitate sound decision making by those who rely on their advice to make business, organizational decisions.

As an example, I will endeavor to split up and comprehensively discuss the term "Raid" into a conduit chain of parties (Raiding parties, raiding parties patrol bases/launching pads, livestock transporters from the pastoral areas, the livestock dealers, the ready buyers/market, the high status facilitators, etc), that will illustrate the complex and geographically spanning conflict & insecurity challenges of pastoral people & counties, indicating to you how local and external layers of conflict drivers reinforce each other and make conflict/insecurity intractable.

I certainly trust that providing you such comprehensive knowledge on the said dynamics will be extremely helpful in the course of you discharging your security advisory and other conflict & security related roles and responsibilities in the pastoral counties/areas of your interest."

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