All aspects of pastoral social and economic life are ordered in relation to
livestock and the environment in which they live. In pastoralist societies, cattle
hold central value within the society and are the basis of association in a
complex of social, political and religious institutions. The livelihood is
practised predominantly in semi-arid and arid areas where pastoralists are
able to exploit land and conditions that normally cannot support other
economic activities. The system depends largely on the availability of water
and the distribution and quality of, and access to, pasture.
Some 500-600 million people live in the arid and semi arid parts of the world,
some 30-40 million of them depend entirely on animals. Of these 30-40
million people, 50-60 percent are found in Africa. The Horn of Africa contains
the largest grouping of pastoralists in the world: Sudan has the highest
pastoralist percentage globally while Somalia and Ethiopia rank third and fifth
respectively. In Djibouti, one third of the population is pastoralist. The semiarid
and arid areas in the Horn make up 70 percent of the total land area,
which provides an average of 20 to 30 percent of GDP. At the local level, as
much as 70 percent of cash income is generated from livestock1
. In Kenya,
semi arid and arid land constitutes 439,000 km2
of the land mass, covers 14
districts2
, and is equivalent to 80 percent of Kenya’s total land area3
. This
area supports 25 percent of the country's population and half of its livestock.
However, pastoralism is under threat. The combination of weak governance;
inadequate land and resource management policies; political and economical
marginalisation; and increasing insecurity, resulting from small arms and
cattle raiding, is taking its toll.
The challenge now is to determine the actual conflict risks associated with
pastoralism in the Horn and to identify potential opportunities for peacebuilding.
This requires an analysis of pastoral communities at risk as well as
an exploration of the impact of policies at all levels (local, national and
regional). The case study of Laikipia in Kenya seeks to undertake such an
analysis by drawing on research data supplemented by interviews at local,
district and national level. It also attempts to understand the role that donors,
particularly the European Union (EU), can play in conflict prevention and in
the restoration of security in the region.
The EU and its member states have the potential to play an important role in
reducing the risks of violent conflict, but this requires a deeper understanding
of communities at risk of conflict as well as an exploration of the impact of EU
and member states policies at local, national and regional levels.
The EU recognises that the human and material costs of violent conflict
undermine efforts to foster sustainable development and now demands that
development assistance be targeted at the root causes of violence4
. EU
policy commitments in support of the prevention of violent conflicts have also
necessitated enhanced coherence between the full range of instruments

1
“Coping mechanisms and their efficacy in disaster-prone pastoral systems of the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA). Effects and
responses of pastoralists and livestock during the 1995-1997 drought and the 1997-98 El Niño Rains”, ILRI/ASARECA, Draft. 2
The districts include Isiolo, Marsabit, Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Baringo, Keiyo, Kajiado, Laikipia, Marakwet, Narok, Samburu,
Turkana, and West Pokot.
3
“Recovery and sustainable development to the year 2000”, Sessional paper No 1 (Government of Kenya, Government Press:
Nairobi, 1995), p 59.
4
Conclusions of the Council and of the representatives of the member states on the role of development co-operation in strengthening
peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution, adopted by the Development Council on 30 November 1998.
available to the EU including trade, investment and diplomatic engagement.
The Horn of Africa has been among the largest beneficiaries of EU aid in both
development and investment. Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are principal
trading partners with a number of EU member states, with Kenya being one of
the leading trading partners of both the EU and its member states.
This study aims to highlight the factors that have potential to catalyse conflict
in the Horn of Africa with reference to Laikipia in particular, and to identify
areas in which EU and its member states can make a positive contribution to
peace-building. Laikipia District in Kenya provides a focus from which to
consider conflict risks and to suggest future EU practices for engagement in
pastoral areas. It is hoped that such a study can catalogue the wide range of
risks of violent conflict, which the EU will need to acknowledge in developing
its engagement.
The report specifically aims to examine conflicts risks associated with natural
resources management and small arms proliferation which impact on
pastoralists in the Horn, with an emphasis on Laikipia District in Northern
Kenya. It is intended that the EU and member states will use lessons learned
in their planning of future participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding
programmes in pastoral regions across the Horn.
Part 1 of this report provides a regional context in which to consider the crossborder,
national, regional and more localised causes of conflict, relevant to
the case study. Part 2 examines the specific issues relevant to Laikipia
District. Part 3 considers how the state, the EU and its member states can
better promote sustainable peace and development.