Assessment Of The Implications Of The Resource Based Conflicts Among The Karamoja Cluster Group Of The Eastern Africa Region.

Abstract

This study is an ethnography which examines the resource based conflict among the Karamoja cluster group of Eastern Africa who are pastoralist by way of life and therefore share a common culture. The Karamoja people are found in four nation states of Eastern Africa; north- western Kenya, north eastern-Uganda, south western-Ethiopia and south eastern Sudan. Conflict over shares scarce resources especially water, grazing pasture, cattle rustling occurs mainly when there is drought hence everyone wants to access, control and exploit what is available leading to competition. The illegal ownership of gun is also a source of conflict in one way or the other because these people perceive that having the weapons assures one of protection especially during cattle rustling whereby the raided animals are then used in the payment of dowry or commercialized in exchange of money or guns since the more the guns one have in this community, the more prestigious he or she is. Finally the approaches used in the management of these conflicts include the use of traditional courts and other conventional approaches which the researcher observed that they are not effective in the long run due to weakened traditional mechanisms and lack of adherence by the community to what has been passed so that peace and security is achieved all round. The study used both secondary and primary data but explorative method was mostly applied because through it the researcher was in a position to find out how these people survive in the arid and semi-arid karamoja cluster and the issues affecting them to hence conflicts. Target groups were the pastoralists themselves, clan elders, non-governmental organizations and the academicians. Sample size and sampling involved use of the standard deviation formula by Mugenda for population of more than 10,000 people hence total 384 respondents. The method of sampling varied depending on the target group as a result both probability and non-probability approach was applied while tools for data collection were both open and closed ended questionnaires and focus group discussions. The study ends with discussing the findings, conclusion and recommendations.