PEACEFUL TURKANA COUNTY CO-EXISTENCE DURING AND AFTER ELECTIONS.

Longole James Wangiros & Okoche Michael

Karamoja Cluster Consultancy Ltd.

Presentation Layout

1. Background 2. Regional Environment 3. National Environment 4. Challenges in Turkana County 5. Turkana environment 6. Strategies for peaceful coexistence 4/30/2020 2

1.0 Background

• Analysis of the environment under which elections will be conducted.

• Identification of issues that could be used to focus the Turkana community towards unity and co-existence.

• Causes and patterns of election-related conflict in Turkana County • Establishment of strategies for co existence. 4/30/2020 3

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. 4/30/2020 5

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 6

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; 7

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 of conflicts;

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 4/30/2020 13

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; 4/30/2020 15

Strategies for Peaceful co-existence

• 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; 16

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. 4/30/2020 17

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; 4/30/2020 18

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; 4/30/2020 19

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. 20

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 4/30/2020 22

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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