Archive | 2019
Historical Causes of Farmer-Herder Conflict in Kitui East Sub County, Kenya, 1895-1963
Abstract
Farmer-herder Conflicts have been noted to be a chronic problem in Kenya. One of the most affected area being Kitui East Sub County. In this region, these conflicts Moi University, P.O. Box 3900, Eldoret-30100 involved two claimant groups fighting over access to limited natural resources like pasture and water. The two groups are the Akamba farmers and the Somali and/or Orma herders. These conflicts date back to pre colonial period although they intensified during and after the colonial era. The conflicts have led to socio-economic decline in the region. As such, determining the root causes of the conflicts is requisite to pursuing the much needed peaceful co-existence. The objective of the study was to trace the historical causes of farmer-herder conflicts in Kitui East Sub County, 1963-2013. Structural scarcity theory guided the study. 180 respondents were selected using Simple random sampling technique. Key informants were selected using Purposive sampling procedure. The study utilised four main sources of data collection namely; archival, interviews, FGDs and library search. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results were presented in narration form. The study established that the main cause of conflicts in Kitui East Sub County was competition over water and pasture. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will act as reference in the historiography on conflicts.