Emerging Strategies for Peace and Reconciliation Among Pastoralistsin Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. By Reginald Nalugala,Tangaza University College, Nairobi Kenya

Introduction

The Diocese of Lodwar in Northern Kenya organized an inter-diocesanConference on Peace and cross border Evangelization from 8th to 12th

December 2012 at St. Teresa Pastoral Centre, Lodwar. The conferencewas one of the highlights of the main celebrations to mark 50 yearsof faith in Lodwar Diocese. The dioceses present for this inter-diocesan peace conference together with their respective bishopswere: Moroto and Kotido Dioceses from Eastern Uganda, Torit Dioceseof South Sudan, the Diocese of Jimma-Bonga in Southern Ethiopia, andthe Kenya Catholic Dioceses of Lodwar, Marsabit, Maralal, Nakuru,Kitale and Eldoret. There were representatives from regionalcatholic governing bodies like Symposium of Episcopal Conferences ofAfrica and Madagascar (SECAM), Association of Member EpiscopalConferences of East and Central Africa (AMECEA), Kenya Conference ofCatholic Bishops (KCCB). Also present were Inter-religious DiologueCouncil of Kenya (IRDCK), Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya,Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Shalom Centre forconflict resolution and reconciliation (SCCRR), Damietta PeaceInitiatives (DPI),Tangaza University College and other organizationsinterested in peace building among pastoralists.

Secam Representative at Peace Conference Opening Mass at the peace Conference.Bishop Muhatia of Nakuru Diocesegreeting delegates

The Diocese of Lodwar (Loduarinus in Latin) was formed in 1961 fromthe Diocese of Eldoret. In 2012 it was marking 50 years of faith andevangelization. It became an Apostolic Prefecture in 1968 and Rev.Fr.John Christopher Mahon, SPS, was first appointed ApostlolicPrefect in 1968. He became Bishop of Lodwar in 1978 and served until2000 when he retired. He was followed by Bishop Harrington, SMA, whoretired in 2010 and Bishop Dominic Kimengich appointed the newBishop in 2011.During his opening address to the conferencedelegates Bishop Dominic welcomed and encouraged everyone present tothink of peace as key to evangelization. The pastoralist communitiesin the surrounding dioceses looked at the Church as the onlyinstitution that could bring peace and prosperity among them. Thesecretary of the Apostolic Nuncio in his opening speech deliveredhis apologies on behalf of the nuncio who was away. His message wasthat: Since we are here to open the conference on peace all presentshould strive to promote peace in Kenya and adjoining dioceses.

Threats, challenges, problems can be overcome when people learn tolive together and tolerate one another irrespective of theirdiversive cultures. God himself is peace: father, son and Holyspirit which signifies harmony. We should tolerate one another inall areas. He appreciated all those who came from far to join thediocese for this conference. The theme of the conference posits manychallenges. One should visit a refugee camp to see what happens whenpeace is not there. The camps manifest different challengingsituations which demand good relations and harmony among all people.Blood is thicker than water but the baptism water is thicker thanblood because people of different communities, known, unknown theworld over are united by baptism and not blood relations. For thatmatter any catholic can travel anywhere in the world and attend samemass, receive sacraments, a clear manifestation of one Holy Churchof Christ. Therefore everyone is a peace maker in their own right.He encouraged all participants to go through the conferencereflecting on peace as the universal church of Christ andambassadors of peace.

The conference had three objectives:

To learn from each other what the dioceses were doing topromote peace and evangelization among pastoralists.

To refine their tools for promoting peace and critique theirown methods for peace building.

To set out very clearly some practical actions to undertake bythose living in cross border parishes.

Based on these objectives the aim of the conference was to selectaction points at intra-diocesan and inter-diocesan level. Thedioceses would then harmonize a working relationship and createtogether cross border parish led initiatives to work closely withpastoralists and promote peace in the region.

This write up will discuss the background to the Lodwarinternational peace conference; give highlights of the conferenceexplaining causes of conflict among pastoralists. Lastly discussrecommendations that came out of the conference and point out commonstrategies for cross border activities which could promote peace inthe region.

Background to the Lodwar Peace Conference and cross borderevangelization

The inter-diocesan peace conference was inspired by the theme of the2009 Africa Synod. The synod was built around the theme of Justice,Peace and Reconciliation as documented in the synod write up AfricaeMunus. The African synod had challenged the faithful to make theChurch the true Family of God, a haven for forgiveness,reconciliation and peace. Pope Benedict XVI said “I invite all people of goodwill to look to Africa with faith and love, to help it become – through Christ and through theHoly Spirit – the light of the world and the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14). Aprecious treasure is to be found in the soul of Africa, where Iperceive a “spiritual ‘lung’ for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith andhope” on account of the extraordinary human and spiritual riches of its children…”(A. M.no.13).It was observed that lack of peace and reconciliation in mostAfrican countries, towns, villages and homes made it everybody’sduty to be part of this process of transforming the Africancontinent. The synod identified peace initiatives, promotion ofsocial justice, reconciliation and human dignity, the spiritual,socio-economic and political spheres of life as key interventions.The Exhortation made a passionate plea to the Church in Africa totake her place and contribute her spiritual wealth to the mission ofthe Catholic Church worldwide. Therefore the Lodwar Diocese inter-diocesan peace conference was firmly fulfilling the recommendationsput forward by Africae Munus on peace building and reconciliation inthe region.

The Conference officially opened on 9th December with the celebrationof the Eucharist led by Bishop Wambua of Bungoma Diocese. His homilyreflected on what each person should do to make a difference in

society rather than hide away from God’s call. He based his homilyon the Book of Genesis 3 where Adam hid away from God afterdisobeying him. Hiding away from God’s mission should not be ourcall but taking on difficult challenges like promoting peace andreconciling warring communities. Bishop Cornelius Korir of EldoretDiocese added later during his speech that bringing peace meansgreat sacrifice where even peace makers could become fatalities forsake of sustainable peace for many. Carrying the cross of peace toCalvary is painful but that sacrifice exhibits the birth of a newlife. There should be no giving up once you become contaminated withthe germ of peace and reconciliation. This conference has justaffirmed the commitment of the few to peace and reconciliation inthe region.

Conference highlights on common causes of conflict

The different speakers at the Conference from the eight diocesesgave a detailed account on the actual causes of conflict among thepastoralists. The problems affecting the people along the commonborders were not land but drought. Drought was behind most of theconflicts among pastoralists who depended on river basins forgrazing and watering of cattle, camels and goats. Therefore the useof water from River Omo was identified as first challenge toevangelization in the region. River Omo flows from Ethiopianhighlands down to Lake Turkana in Kenya. The herdsmen withinEthiopia are affected when there is drought. They follow the riverbasin as it recedes down south. In the process they encounter otherherdsmen from Sudan and Kenya who are also looking for water andgrassland for their animals. Unless the herdsmen are organized undera certain structure where they are encouraged to share resources in

common there is bound to be conflict. The Church can be the keycustodian for peace and reconciliation by recognising this need toeducate people on sharing water and grazing grounds.

Therefore new projects were being discussed which could serve thecommon needs of the local communities and develop a spirit ofsharing grazing pastures and watering points jointly. The CatholicChurch was working with the government agents to educatepastoralists on these values which had been missing in previousinitiatives. The River Omo basin and the Turkwel River basin inKenya were frequent sources of conflict now the herdsmen in thisbasins were beginning to see how to grazing grounds without causingconflict through church supported initiatives.

The cross border parishes were encouraged to assist in workingtowards meeting common needs of pastoralists along the borderswithin common parish boundaries. The Vicar General of the diocese ofJimma-Bonga (Ethiopia) reported that the diocese had 1.5 millionpeople living on a 50,000 square miles. With such a large populationthe challenge for the diocese was that of personnel and theEthiopian Government. The Vicar general agreed to the proposal bythe Lodwar diocese to serve the faithful of Jimma-Bonga living closeto the border with Kenya from the Kenya side of the border. TheEthiopian Government still recovering from the influence ofcommunism was still suspicious of the work of the Catholic Church intraining seminarians and opening up new parishes for evangelizing inthe region. Therefore the gesture by the Lodwar diocese to help insome of the pastoral activities along common borders was a welcomegesture.

The Marsabit Diocese also bordered Jimma-Bonga Diocese. It was partof the Marsabit County with a total population of about 300,000people. The combined area of the county is 78,078 sq. Km whichincludes 4,956 sq. km covered by Lake Turkana to the west. Thiscounty covers approximately 11% of the total area of Kenya. Thediocese covers some of the most remote parts of Kenya in terms ofinfrastructure, access to basic social services, harsh and roughterrain such as the Chalbi Desert. 10 per cent of the populationpractice subsistence agriculture mainly around Mount Marsabit in thedivisions of Central and Gadamoji which receive comparatively higher

rainfall like Mt. Kulal. About 7 per cent are involved in commercetrade and the rest are salaried employees.

About 80 per cent of the residents are pastoralists deriving theirlivelihood from livestock and livestock based trade. The majorpastoralist groups include the Borana, Rendille, Gabbra, Turkana,Burji and Samburu. Other minority communities include the, El-Molo,Wata, Konso and Dasanach.

The main cause of conflict in the diocese was cattle rustling whichwas fuelled by livestock trade.

The second cause of conflict is scarcity of rainfall in most of theareas. Pastoralists are pushed to other regions in search of freshpastures. The incursions for fresh pastures have been identified asmain causes of conflict in the area. The diocese is working on waysto make the pastoralists share common watering points and grazinggrounds.

The Diocese of Torit South Sudan identified key causes of conflictin the region. Traditionally, cattle raiding among pastoralistcommunities of Eastern Equatorial State (Catholic Diocese of Torit)have been present since 1950s. Occasionally pastoralists hereorganize themselves for cattle raids into the neighbouring villagesusing traditional weapons like spears, bow and arrows. This isbecause the pastoralists have come to use cattle, goats and sheep asimportant investment for daily use and as bride price wealth. Someof the traditional rites were the cause of conflict in the diocese.Women were key players in cattle raiding because they were thecustodians of the arsenal for raiding in their homes. They areactive actors because they benefitted from successful raids by beinggiven meat, milk and skin. Women were bigger contributors toconflict in the region because they sang songs of praise and honourto warriors who came back with cattle from a raid. Those who did notbring any cows were ridiculed. This was an incitement to more raids.They also sang songs which motivated men to fight and become realmen. Women bless, pray and praise raiders encouraging the young mento go for serious raids.

However, women also suffer from the effect of Small Arms and Lightweapons and cattle raiding like from prolonged absence of theirmen/husbands. By their men travelling further out to find pastureincreased their family insecurity. They suffered most when their

husbands and sons were killed in raids. The pain of taking care oforphans has begun pushing women to become peace makers and conflictresolution experts. The raids have now taken a new twist with theproliferation of small arms and light weapons in the hand ofordinary villagers. This is because Sudan had experienced 22 yearsof civil war which ended with the signing of the Comprehensive PeaceAgreement and the independence of the south in 2010. Guns had beenflowing freely supplied by former rebels to the ordinary people.This has changed the traditional conflict dynamics and cattleraiding frequency. The number of the dead caused from humaninsecurity in the Catholic Diocese of Torit/Eastern EquatorialState. Torit Diocese has greatly increased. One suggested approachto conflict resolution was educate women to report to theauthorities where the guns were hidden and compelling on their mennot to raid other communities. Traditionally killing women in anyraid was regarded as cowardly and tre penalty was greater for a deadwoman compared to a dead man.

The diocese of Torit reported that while they were pursuing this newapproach currently, the communities were afraid to disarm in fear oftheir neighbours who were not disarming at the same time. The samefear was reported by the Turkana MP who was afraid to disarm in fearof their brothers the Toposa in South Sudan and the Karamojong inUganda and vice versa. The politicians were pushing their own peoplenot to disarm until all communities did the same at the same time.The conference agreed that there should be a regional peacefuldisarmament process between Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopiaparticularly among the pastoralist communities at the borders tosave lives. The diocese works together with the government toeducate their communities on the dangers of cattle raiding andhandling of fire arms. The bishop and his pastoralist team hasembarked on looking for raided cattle together with the government(the commissioners and police force).

Kitale Diocese in Kenya identified Land as a major cause forconflict there.Distorted history over the ownership of Trans-Nzoia County has been athorny issue and a source of conflict in the county. Variouscommunities have laid claim to ownership of Trans-Nzoia county,namely the Pokots ,Sabaots, Sengwer and the Bukusus which has been asource of conflict. They also identified illegal restocking of lost

animals through raids as another cause of conflict among theTurkana, Pokot,Marakwet and Sabiny. They frequently raid each otherfor livestock. The need to restock stolen animals was coupled withthe need for revenge and the accessibility of illegal fire arms aremajor contributors to sustained cattle rustling which is one of themain type of conflict between the two communities.The cross border competition for pasture and water points was acommon problem in Kitale as it was between Kenya and Ethiopia andSudan.The main economic activity of the Pokots and Turkanas andSabiny especially those along the conflict border, is nomadicpastoralism. The communities keep large herds of cattle.Climatically, the region is prone to draughts. In such times, thecommunities move around in search of pasture and water for theiranimals. When the two communities meet, conflict is bound to eruptas each wants grazing fields and water for their animals. It’sbelieved that during the migration, raiders are able to scout andnotice on either side the herds that each own prompting raids. Onthe side of Pokots and the Luhyas bordering each other at Kanyarkwatborder, competition over pasture and Water has been a source ofconflict.The construction of the Turkwel Gorge project has been identified asnew source of conflict along the common borders between the Pokotand Turkana communities. Each community suspects the other asbenefiting more from the water catchment behind the dam, or has beencompensated and receives the larger share of the profits. However,according to a research carried out by the Kitale Justice and PeaceCommission in 2005 over Turkwel Gorge Project, revealed that whilethe conflict increased none of the communities has significantlybenefited in any manner from the project despite the hugeinvestments. What seems to emerge from the research was thatcommunities had been sidelined in terms of development and that theimmense profits from the project have not been ploughed back intothe community to alleviate the enormous poverty in the region.

Common strategies for cross border activities which could promotepeace in the region.

Bishop Korir had emphasized that there was no formulae for peace norpermanent theories.

Once raided cattle are found and identified, they are returned totheir rightful owners and communities reconciled. It is a difficulttask to engage in because communities are not sincere to identifythe raiders and the raided cattle in their communities. BishopCornelius Korir of Eldoret Diocese in Kenya narrated vividly how hehad been involved in reconciling local communities after cattleraid. The Pokot and Keiyo had been raiding each other for hundredsof years.

Bishop Korir of Eldoret Diocese addresses the conference on his own experiences toconflict and peace.

When the warriors raid and someone is killed they were supposed toslaughter an animal for cleansing. But the raided community wouldwant to rush to the village and attack before the cleansing so thatthe spirit of the dead remains in the deceased’s village. Thekillings then continue perpetually if they follow to the letter thisapproach. Bishop Korir found a better way of helping raiders returnstolen animals without shading blood. He had been involved in anumber of reconciliation meetings where both sides returned stolenanimals and exchanged in an open field with the bishop in themiddle. If 200 cows were stolen and 50 were missing the Bishop wouldoffer to buy cows to replace missing ones. If a person was killed inthe process there was a penalty for a deceased person. 120 cattlewould go towards paying for a dead woman in the course of a raid and60 for a man. But now in the Eldoret diocese they have come up witha figure of 40 cows irrespective whether a woman or a man waskilled. Archbishop Korir, Eldoret Diocese found peace initiativeswhere over 1000 houses were constructed by the same people who hadburnt them. The diocese created a dialogue centre in Kapsait whichhas become a peace shrine where the first animals bought for thosewho lost their own have started bringing milk for income generation.They began using local community intelligence to know the peoplebehind the shadows of trees. It is an expression to mean those whohide away from meetings but cause trouble when the church andgovernment authority leaves.

This methodology to peace building has proven expensive but saveslives. The other dioceses agreed to apply this methodology from thediocese of Eldoret in their own pastoral activities among thepastoralists.

Other identified peace initiatives

The peace building process cannot exist in isolation fromdevelopment and governance needs. There will emerge a project whichshould be sustained to bring the warring groups together. Oncecommon cross border programmes can be identified there is bound tobe long term peace in the region.

It was important to identify common cultural events that broughtpeople together.

One such activity is the Lokirima Peace agreement 1973 betweenTurkana-Karamojong observed annually. This cultural event wasalso tied to a common grand mother who is regarded as commonfounding mother of the two twin communities was recognised asan important peace support initiative. It involves the Moroto-Lodwar diocese. During this event sports activities areorganized and the youth from the two communities playtogether.

• Turkana-Dodoth Conflict Project (Lokado, Dado, Kopein andRiamiriam involving the Turkana).

• Moru-anayeche comprehensive Peace Agreement 2012 (EIDHRProject)-Consortium of NGOs.

• Lokiriama Peace Agreement (Turkana-Matheniko) of 1973.Commemorated annually.

• Intervention: modern road coming to the border: Kotido KailenyRoad Kopein was identified as a great peace promoter andimproved security in the region.

The Bishops present and the delegates agreed that they should lookfor common water and sanitation points, peace building activitieslike sports.

Kitale diocese followed this methodology and reported thatpeace among pastoralists had improved by 80%. There wererenegade warriors who continued to cause conflict but theycould be reined in with supportive development programmes.

Kotido Diocese was going to increase collaboration andcoordination among sister dioceses in the Karamoja cluster.

They would work on improved cross-border infrastructuredevelopment and share experiences on the good practices fromother dioceses.

They were to embark on joint resource mobilization &utilization, build common markets for food stuff andgroceries.

Roads were identified as key to peace building. Thereforecommon cross border roads would be built to help betterlinkage and communication.

The conference recommended that

a. There should be joint resource mobilization is needed for thebordering diocesies of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethopiato engaged in cross-border peacebuilding and evangalizationactivities.

b. There is need to have clear conflict maping between theneighboring dioceseses of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan andEthiopia to develop appropriate strategy for peace-buildingand cross-border evangelization activities.

c. There was need to improve on lobbying for regional peacefuldisarmament between Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia;we need to encourage our politicians and government to come tothis reality.

d. Empowerment of the pastorlist communities and development ofpolicies to govern pastoralism in the three countries. A bigerconfrence between inter-church and the governments of thethree countries is needed to achieve this aim.

e. Building of community schools, hospitals, women centres, waterpoints and youth centrs for the people and youts of the threecountries to encounter each other frequentlly.

f. Cross-border Meetings, consultations and forming of jointpeace teams between Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia tostrengthen cross-border peace iniciative and evangalization .

g. Cross-border networking and colloboration. Eg. Exchange ofactivities with the parishes of Narus and Loki and Kuron PeaceVillage in Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopian border, Atiak,Palabek, Padibe and Madi Opei in Northern Uganda and Karingain Eastern Uganda. It is important to revitalize Cross-borderPeace and Sports programme.

h. Rehabilitation/construction of water pans.

i. Due to the harsh climatic conditions, our operation area isprone to frequent dry spells which normally lead tocommunities fighting over access of water for their animals.The church facilitates for the construction and rehabilitationof water pans at strategic places to enable the warringcommunities to access water for the animals.

j. Consultative forums.(government and other CSOs)

k. The church normally organises for consultative forums withother peace actors in the county so as to consolidate thestrategies. This involves members from the district peacecommittees (DPCs), provincial administration, Securitypersonnel’s Ministry of education for the case of peace Examsin school and the local CSOs working for peace

High level consultative meetings and improved reslations: The Kenya Catholic Church through CJPC was to organize high

level consultative meetings between the community Elders,Regional commissioners, NCIC, IEBC, Various politicalaspirants, Police, DPCs, Opinion leaders, WomenRepresentatives, Youth Representatives and other peace actorsin the region.

The aim of the meetings would be to deliberate on communityelders agreements, endorse the deliberations and provide awayforward on the implementation of the same in the Diocese.

Continue with cross border peace building initiative alongKenya-Ethiopia border.This has opened the business betweenKenya (Dukana) and Ethiopia (Dillo).

Every Monday the Kenyans go to Ethiopia Market day atDillo.They share pasture and water. They return astray animalswhich have strayed from pastures to their owners. This gesturepromotes peace in the region and wins the spirit of fraternityamong pastoralists. Currently, the situation is calm withisolated cases of killings but anything can happen with thecoming county elections.

The planting season was used. Giving seeds for planting. Thepeople stopped fighting to plant. If they wanted to fight themaize was growing.Molo in Nakuru County has been experiencingpositive feedback on the relationship between kikuyu andKalenjin.

Summary of the work of evangelization in conflict area using Dr.John Mudida’s model summarized in the pastoral cycle reflectionmethodology below can be used to promote peace and reconciliation ingiven community. The aim should be transformative rather than beingtoo cosmetic. The four themes surrounding peace building wereidentified as: Personal, relational, cultural and structural.

Personal

-Growing Catholic populationreceiving sacraments hence theneed for more parishes -Risingpopulation meant also morevocations families to encouragetheir sons and daughter to enterreligious life

-Women and youth embraced thegospel

-Involvement of the laity in thechurch activities at differentlevels (small Christiancommunities scc, at deanerylevel).

Relational

-Participation by communitymembers and across the borders inquest for peace;

-Inter-parish-diocese crossborder exposure visits.

-Church was recognised as ssecure place where people couldmeet as of one faith to sharepeace.

-Engage the authorities too inconflict situations.

Cultural

Use of local languages and

Structural

Counter marginalization of

promoting cultural activities;

Culture tends to attract morepeople because of commonactivities.

communities.

Presence of the church alwayseven in conflict areas: agenciescome but the church remains withthe people when they leave.

Seeking alternative sources oflivelihood

Conclusion

The Bishops present at the inter-diocesan Peace Conference were:Rt.Rev. Cornelius Korir, Eldoret Diocese, Rt. Rev. Bishop CrawleyKItale Diocese, Rt.Rev. Bishop Muhatia of Nakuru Diocese,Rt.Rev.Bishop Kihara of Marsabit, Rt.Rev.Bishop Dominic Kimengichof Lodwar Diocese(host), Rt. Rev. Bishop Henry Apaloryamam Ssentongoof Moroto Diocese and Rt.Rev. Bishop Bishop Giuseppe Filipp ofKotido Diocese. From SECAM we had Benedict Assorrow, Director ofCommunications on behalf of Fr. Francois-Xavier Damiba, SecretaryGeneral of SECAM. AMECEA Secretary General Most Rev. Fr. Lugonzo andFr. Jude Waweru of AMECEA CJPC.

A precious treasure is to be found in the soul of Africa, where Iperceive a “spiritual ‘lung’ for a humanity that appears to be in acrisis of faith and hope” on account of the extraordinary human andspiritual riches of its children…”(A. M. no.13). With thisconference fresh air was pumped into the spiritual and developmentlung of Africa to continue breathing more oxygen into the peace andreconciliation processes among pastoralists. The recommendationshave opened up new opportunities for mitigating peace among peopleaffected by harsh climate and scarce resources. The churchauthorities and their willing supportive staff have come up with amodel which will help in evangelization, peace building andreconciliation of people once seen as irreconcilable because ofcultural differences. But with recognition of common needs hope hasbeen reignited for prosperity in the region.

NB: The writer was the main repertoire of the inter-diocesan PeaceConference in Lodwar between 8th and 12th December 2012.A Member ofthe Institute of Social Ministry Tangaza University College.

Bishop Dominic of Lodwar leading inthe signing of the Peace Conferencedeclaration

Group Photo of all participants inthe inter-diocesan peaceconference