Abstract:
One of the basic development objectives is living free of fear. It is also an objective that has so far received comparatively limited attention in debates on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Notwithstanding the international community‟s preoccupation with key problems such as natural disasters, climate change, global epidemics and financial crises, the emergency of armed violence has unsuccessfully captured the attention and concern of world leaders and development partners. Part of the reason for this is that the link between conflict and development are largely hidden from view. This study therefore sought to establish the impact of conflict on development. The specific aims of this study were to; determine the effect of inter-communal conflicts on education acquisition in Mandera County, ascertain the impact of terrorism on tourism in Mandera County, determine the effect of conflict on households‟ living standards in Mandera County and determine the impact of recurrent terrorism activities on the economy of Mandera County. This study used a descriptive survey design to evaluate how conflict undermines development. Secondary data was used. From the findings, the study concluded that conflict instances have negatively affected the development of the affected areas. Destruction of schools, displacement of pupils and teachers, shortage of teachers and learning materials has led to poor performance in the schools in the affected areas. Destruction of health facilities and shortage of health workers have caused poor health among the affected people. Poor infrastructure, fear of investment by investors, lack of trade in the region and decrease in tourism in the region have negatively affected the economic growth of the region. In result, the residents in the region languish in poverty. The study recommended further research in the neighboring counties to get more reliable findings for better conclusions.