Effectiveness of Military Intervention in Inter-community Conflicts Management: a Case of Kenya Defense Forces (Kdf) in Kapedo

Abstract

The Pokot-Turkana conflict in the North Rift region particularly in Kapedo area has persisted since pre-colonial era. The two pastoral communities continue to attack each other in a bid to steal livestock and gain control over grazing fields. While interventions of different natures have been rolled out, Government of Kenya’s (GOK) deployment of the military in 2012 was perhaps a move of the last resort. While ethnic-based conflicts have attracted the interest of numerous researchers, the effectiveness of military intervention in inter-community conflict in Kenya has not been exploited. It is against this background that this study sought to examine the effectiveness of military security intervention in inter-community conflict management with specific emphasis on the deployment of Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) to manage the Kapedo conflict. For this reason, the study’s specific objectives were to investigate the influence of the presence of military personnel in managing the Pokot-Turkana conflict and to examine the strategies applied by the KDF in intervening the Pokot-Turkana conflict. Descriptive research design was used to guide this research. The study targeted a population of 5,000 within Kapedo, Nyangaita, and Alale villages. Through purposive and random sampling techniques, the study sampled a population of 112 respondents. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires. Validity of the research instruments were established by experts from the University of Nairobi. Qualitative data was analysed through descriptive analysis while hypotheses were tested by the use of F-test statistics. The general result indicated that military intervention strategies were effective in intercommunity conflict management in Kapedo. The strategies that were adopted by KDF included military presence in the area (Kinetic responses strategies), Raiding bandit’s hide-outs strategies and disarmament strategies. The results indicated that military presence strategy did not significantly contribute towards inter-community conflict management in Kapedo area. However, the strategy adopted by KDF in raiding bandits’ hide-outs was fairly effective and disarmament strategy was very effective in inter-community conflict management. The two interventions measures were effective because the operation achieved peace and calmness across the North Rift region within a short time. However, the study established that the presence of KDF military personnel did not effectively manage the Pokot-Turkana conflict, most likely because the bandits were not intimidated by the presence of KDF personnel. The military was not very effective in the conflict management as they ignored the post-conflict integration of the warring communities.