Transcript Challenges in Turkana County

PEACEFUL TURKANA COUNTY
CO-EXISTENCE
in Averting Conflict
PHILIP LOBURI LOUREN
Coordinator
Namulen Foundation Turkana
County
Coordinator Makaka Community
Basaed Organization
Pastoral and Development Worker
AMECEA
Presented to COCOON
INNITIATIVE
Presentation Layout
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Background
Regional Environment
National Environment
Challenges in Turkana County
Turkana environment
Strategies for peaceful coexistence
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1.0 Background
• Analysis of the environment under which
Conflict is manifested.
• Identification of issues to be focused by
Turkana community towards unity and coexistence.
• Causes and patterns of conflict in Turkana
County
• Establishment of strategies for Peaceful
co-existence.
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Regional Environment
• The Turkana community is bordering three
different countries this brings a lot of
dynamics in management with a lot of
opportunities.
• The political actors and individuals in
Turkana county that desire to have continuity
and especially the progress of the County
should be mindful of the regional dynamics.
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National Environment
• Turkana County is one of the forty Seven
Counties in Kenya so the national
environment can make or unmake the peace
in the County.
• It is very important for the actors in Turkana
County to come up with strategies that will
be able to control the negative effects of the
national violence in case of any.
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National Environment
• The county is already with very many
challenges riddled with violence conflicts
from all sides that require the stakeholders
to make sure that external violence is not
imported to destroy already vulnerable
situation.
• The most important issue is that what is
important for Turkana County that all of us
must fight for despite our differences.
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Challenges in Turkana County
1. Boundary issues; the neighbouring communities
have seen the divisions in Turkana County and
are now exploiting the differences to claim the
land
2. Marginalized; the Turkana Community has been
marginalized for a long time from the time of the
British
3. Insecurity; there has been increase in insecurity
in the county to the extent that many people are
dying daily;
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Challenges in Turkana County
4. Struggle for resources; there has been increase
in population to the extent that there has been
struggle for resources;
5. Famine; the county is faced with famine all the
time that people almost die every year
6. The Communities; especially in the areas
bordering Pokot are beginning to have a negative
opinion on elite.
7. CBOs in Pokot and Turkana South; are CBOs
are actually involved in conflicts not resolution 8
Challenges in Turkana County
8. The commercialization of the conflict
9. Politicization of the conflict
10. Some communities view the Turkana
professionals Association as just focused on
academic debates not solution to community
problems.
11. Infrastructure; the government has also failed
to provide sufficient infrastructure like roads;
12. Lack of schools i.e. there are some locations
without schools e.g. Nalapatui etc;
Challenges in Turkana County
13. deal with problems in the community; Irrigation
Schemes; There is also lack of irrigation schemes
even the ones that were existent have silted or
insecurity has affected them;
14. Loss of Human Life in Turkana County; There
are corridors in Turkana Pokot boarder has
become a chambers of death
15. Chiefs; The Chiefs that are supposed to be the
link between the communities is distant from
government to extent there are far from reality. 10
Challenges in Turkana County
16. Allocation and utilization of resources from the
central government and development partners
17. Local revenue is collected by the government
entities how do we ensure effective utilization;
18. Devolved governance; devolution is right here
how can the people of this county take advantage
of the devolution. Our future has been given to
our hands to make or unmake.
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Questions for
• How can these issues unite us instead of dividing
us?
• To what extent should we agree?
• To what extent should we disagree?
• Should disagreement on the methodologies lead us
to disagree that we abandon the noble task?
• What is working together? Is it doing things
together or pursuing the same goals?
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Some Community Views
• Our children have now focused on
providing for us food
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Turkana Environment
1. Animosity, pretence and non-forgiveness
among former and future contesting parties
and communities ;
2. Political division in the Turkana along
political lines making the County more
vulnerable to external aggression and
exploitation;
3. This makes County vulnerable to under
developed and uncompetitive nationally 14
Turkana Environment
4. Loss of hope and desperation by
communities;
5. Widening gap between the rich and the
poor;
6. Weakening of Public Institutions
7. Lack of security;
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•
Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence in avertiong
Conflict
There is a need to promote issue based political
campaign that ensures Turkana County is above
personal interests;
• There is need to promote reconciliation between
the different stakeholders in the County;
• There is need to appreciate that the Turkana
community are faced with enemies from all
around ;
• There should be establishment of reconciliation
committees at all levels;
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Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence
• The focus of the political actors should be the
promotion of the community concerns in society;
• The County elites should take a centre stage in
both open and network advocacy on issues of
development, security and co-existence;
• The Turkana Community should individually or
collectively, have the responsibility to build and
nurture a culture of peace for both present and
future generations.
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Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence
• The government sectors and state organs, private
organizations, civil society and general public to
take proactive early response measures to prevent
violent conflict in Turkana County
• There is a need to take cognizance of already
existing political, social and economic dimensions
of conflicts in Turkana County, nationally, and
Regionally;
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Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence
• There is need to understand that Turkana County
is in Kenya so some factors in Kenya that may
influence the issues in the County. So need to
come up with strategies to prevent and enhance
the good opportunities;
• The actors in this county must be sensitive to the
cultural values and norms of the affected
communities and promote peaceful coexistence
within and among communities;
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Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence
• The actors should pursue interventions to prevent
and resolve conflicts that will uphold human
rights;
• There is need for development, security,
commercial initiatives and media reporting, to be
designed and implemented in a way that doesn’t
enhance conflict;
• There is need for the entire community of Turkana
County to participate in an inclusive manner
without segregation despite the differences.
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Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence
• There is need to promote research in addressing
issues that will enhance sound conflict analysis
and best practices from previous elections in
regard to the entire Country and County;
• Promotion of equity of all actors, individuals, and
human beings without discrimination on the basis
of sex, education level, age, political or other
opinion, religion, disability and other status.
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Strategies for Peaceful
co-existence
• Promotion of Collaboration and Cooperation
among all actors at all levels of government,
political actors, Civil Society Organization’s,
private sector, communities and donors.
• Promote accountability and transparency among
all the stakeholders in the election process
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5.0 Conclusion
The Turkana County has a lot of problems
that could act as a uniting factor such that
the campaign is on issues trying to come up
with better strategies of come out of the
problems. There should also concern not to
get divided as that is a waste of effort to
address the challenges.
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