Traditional African Culture and Communication: The Missing Link in Cattle Rustling Interventions Among Pastoralist Communities in Northern Kenya

• In Event: Ethnic Conflict: Constructing, Deconstructing, and Reconstructing Ethnic Divides

Abstract

Northern Kenya pastoralists are involved in persistent inter-tribal and cross-border cattle rustling with pastoralists in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The last three decades have seen its upsurge in frequency and intensity in the region. These raids cause human and material loss, displacement of families, fleeing teachers, school closures and student dropouts. Attempts to solve this problem either exacerbate the conflict or just produce short-term effects. The constant failure of successive governments and other actors point to a missing link, and demands rethinking of cattle rustling interventions. This study seeks to explore if cattle rustling is deeply rooted in the pastoralists’ culture and communication, and whether these crucial elements may be the missing link in cattle rustling interventions. By examining selected interventions, this ethnographic research is utilizing Social Penetration Theory to determine if the practice persists because intervening groups have not thoroughly consulted pastoralists’ traditional African culture and communication mechanisms.

Authors

• Agnes Lucy Lando, Daystar University

• Samuel Kochomay, Daystar U