Making peace under the mango tree : A study on the role of local institutions in conflicts over natural resources in Tana Delta, Kenya
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2013-10
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en
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Abstract
In this research, conflicts over natural resources in the Tana Delta and the role of local institutions
are central, with a special emphasis on the 2012/2013 clashes. In this region, conflicts between the
two dominant ethnic groups, the Orma (who are predominantly herders) and the Pokomo
(predominantly farmers), are common. Three types of institutions are involved with conflict
management and natural resource management, namely the local administration, village elders, and
peace committees. As for other regions in Kenya, the authority of elders has diminished in the past
decades, whereas the local administration lacks the authority and capacity to govern the region.
Therefore, peace committees can play a vital role in conflict management and natural resource
management. The main natural resources which are contested in the Tana delta, are water, pasture,
and farmland. Although peace committees seem fairly effective with managing cross-communal
conflicts and preventing any further escalation, conflict prevention needs further priority. Crosscommunal
agreements to manage natural resources have been less and less the case, which is one of
the main factors causing conflicts. Engagement of communities in making these agreements should
be one of the priorities in the post-clashes Tana delta. As for the 2012/2013 clashes, it is likely that
outside interference, either prior or during the conflict, has caused the escalation of violence, which
has led to the loss of almost 200 human lives, probably because of a favourable outcome of the
elections held in March 2013. Although large-scale land acquisitions have not directly contributed to
the clashes, interest of investors for developing ranches into large-scale plantations has increased
intercommunal tensions, which has indirectly contributed to recent violence.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen