Peacebuilding From Below: Contributions of Local Peace Infrastructures in Land - Based Conflicts - Case of Turkana County 2012-2020

Departing from the now widely criticized approach of liberal peace, taking Turkana County in Kenya as a case study, this thesis investigates the contributions of peace building from below, with a focus on how land-based conflicts are addressed in light of oil discovery in Lokichar sub county. The study looks at the now embraced approach of peacebuilding from below in order to situate the everyday realities of peacebuilders on the ground. Key findings of the study revealed that major forms of historical conflicts in Turkana include; Land disputes, Cattle rustling, Inter-ethnic conflicts, political incitement, and clan conflicts among others. Additionally, the community had high expectations upon the discovery of oil, such as; increased job opportunities, improved infrastructure, educational scholarships, improved standard of living, construction of social amenities such as hospitals, health services, provision of clean water and modern toilets, improvement of security within the area. Unfortunately, this was not the case on ground. The study also sought to examine local actors’ contribution to peacebuilding and conflicts resolution in Turkana County. Dominant local actors involved in land conflict resolution included chiefs, elders, traditional priests and integrated actors involved in the government. The study confirmed that local chiefs play a key role in resolving land related conflicts, by working closely with ‘Nyumba Kumi’ Initiative Committees, in order to strengthen security within the villages, assist in peacebuilding through community mobilization and sensitization on the adverse negative effects of conflicts. Apart for the chiefs, village elders assisted in conflict resolution and reconciliation. The study used primary data collected from respondents upon which analysis and conclusions were derived. The study recommends that the local peace building initiatives should be integrated in the modern ways of resolving conflicts. The government should support traditional leaders and committees spearheading the peacebuilding and conflict resolution process.