| dc.description.abstract | The impact of military training activities on the ecosystem has been a subject of
wide-ranging debates both in the public arena and in the academic fraternity. Ever since
Kenya's attainment of independence in 1963 the British military have been carrying out
training activities in various parts of the country every year. Specifically, the Kenyan
government gave the British military access to several areas in Kenya for training
purposes.
The use of Archers' Post in Samburu District as a military training ground has
generated controversy in recent years. Indeed there have been allegations that the British
military training activities have contributed to the underdevelopment of the area This
study set out to investigate the impact of British military training activities on the
ecosystem of Archers' Post and its environs. The study was informed by the fact that
such training has been an on-going activity for more than forty years. Indeed the history
of British military activities in Archers' Post and its environs pre-dates the SOFFA
Agreement and goes back to the Second World War period, when the area was,used for
campaigns against the Italians in Somalia and Eritrea.
The findings of the study indicate that British military activities have had several
negative effects in the area, including but not limited to: air pollution due to continuous
and pulsating noise from flying aircraft, firing weapons and bombing practice, which
interrupt education and other economic activities due to noise; water pollution as a result
of contamination of streams within the training area; soil pollution as a result of metallic
leftovers on the ground; physical injuries, and sometimes deaths, to wildlife and human
beings caused by unexploded ordinances left on the training grounds; physical damage to
the area's vegetation cover and soil structure due to the impact of driving large vehicles
on the ground; alienation of land on which the community depends for a living, thus
denying them a major source of subsistence; disruption of civilian activities through
forced eviction from the training areas and restriction of grazing areas for the pastoral
community,among others.
The study recommends that increased attention should be paid by the Kenyan
government to the community's needs including the sinking of boreholes, building of
schools and dispensaries, updating of the Isiolo-Marsabit road, and initiation of irrigation
projectsin the area to stimulate farming activities as a source of alternative livelihood for
the community. There is also the need to clearly delineate the military training grounds
and compensate the Samburu community for the use of their land. | en |
