Reconciling border communities: One year on

Background

The Kenya-Uganda Cross-Border Programme covers the region inhabited by the pastoralist communities of Turkana and Pokot of Kenya and the Karamojong of Uganda. The 2019 census estimates the population of Turkana-West Pokot region to be 1,368,089 people.

The Karamoja cluster encompasses cross-border areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. The region is inhabited by pastoralist communities from the Turkana and Pokot from Kenya, the Dodoth, Jie, Matheniko, Pian, Ethur/Acholi Labwa, Topeth, Ike (Minority tribe), Bokora and Pokot representing the Karamojong of Uganda, the Toposa from South-Sudan and the Nyangatom and Merille from Ethiopia.

The pastoralist communities in the area share a common culture and way of life. They depend on pastoralism as a source of livelihood and frequently move their livestock across the border in search of pasture and water.

The Karamoja sub-region is endowed with significant opportunities with a potential to spur economic and structural transformation for communities in these areas. They include a high youthful population, a rich cultural heritage, vast natural resources including minerals, eco-tourism, cross-border trade, and solar and wind power. 

The region’s economy is driven by the livestock sector. More than 80 percent of the population is engaged in livestock farming and ancillary activities.

Lake Turkana has rich supplies of tilapia, nile perch, and king fish, whose market currently extends beyond local demands to other major Kenyan towns.

The discovery of oil and gas in Turkana County has further raised the prospect of exploiting petroleum and gas value chains to spur economic transformation in the region. In addition, vast aquifers have been discovered in the dry region. These could provide a solution for the region’s water shortage.

Further, the ongoing intensified national and regional infrastructure projects are set to transform the face of the cluster.

The cross-border areas of the Horn of Africa, including the Karamoja cluster, have historically suffered under-development. The area reports some of the highest poverty rates in the region, exacerbated by frequent droughts and other related natural shocks such as seasonal flooding.

Environmental stress and competition over dwindling resources has repeatedly sparked violent conflict, with serious human, economic and social costs. Political and economic marginalisation, as well as growing inequalities, has added to grievances that fuel discontent and radicalisation in this region.

These areas notably act as a transit point for considerable numbers of displaced populations and migrants. They also provide fertile ground for criminal networks of traffickers and smugglers.

Proliferation of small arms and light weapons is not only a security risk, but also a major public health concern, especially for women and children, as a result of injuries linked to armed conflicts. The combination of these factors has led many of these areas to be stuck in cyclical, recurrent or protracted crises.

Conflicts in the cross-border areas of Kenya and Uganda are endemic and have profound impact in the livelihood of the people – more particularly for the youth, women and children. These are exacerbated by the effects of climate change,  weak disaster management systems and food crises, as well as cultural overhangs.

Inception of the Cross-border Programme

Inspired by the positive signs from the Kenya-Ethiopia Cross-border programme, which was initiated to promote a culture of peace and reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of communities affected by conflict and climate-induced migration along the Moyale border, the Government of Kenya and the Government of Uganda embarked on the development of a joint cross-border framework for sustainable peace and development in the cross-border region of Turkana and West Pokot counties in Kenya and Karamoja local government of Uganda.

Consultations on cooperation on conflict prevention and development in the Karamoja cluster dates back to 2017, following the establishment of the Development Facilitation Unit (DFU) in Moroto, Karamoja, Uganda. The DFU supported and strengthened cross-border cooperation among the four countries in the Karamoja cluster and provided a platform for discussions and collaboration between the two Governments and United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) on cross-border peace and security for the Karamoja cluster. 

To move the initiative forward, the Governments of Kenya and Uganda, supported by their respective UN Resident Coordinators, held a workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, on August 31, 2018. The consultations culminated in the development of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries on September 12, 2019 at Moroto Uganda in the presence of both Heads of States, as an affirmation of their commitment and support to the process.

The Kenya-Uganda MoU aims to reduce resource-based conflicts, cattle-rustling and spill-over effect of conflict from one country to the other, and to improve the livelihood of the communities inhabiting the Karamoja cluster through cross-border trade, sustainable resource management and introduction of alternative livelihoods.

Moreover, the MoU aims to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation on areas of mutual interest, in furtherance of development goals of the two countries as contained in their development blueprints – the Kenya Vision 2030 and Uganda Vision 2040. It furthers this objective additionally through the ongoing Joint Ministerial Commission Agreement between Kenya and Uganda, a framework critical to the achievement of priorities that further the economic relations between the  two countries.

UN support to the Cross-border programme

Cross-border programmes contribute to the UN Secretary General’s Vision on Prevention and Sustaining Peace, the African Union Agenda 2063, Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This programme of work contributes to SDGs 1, 2, 5, 13, 16 and 17, which are geared towards ending poverty, reducing hunger, gender equality, climate action, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and building partnerships for development. Achieving these SDGs is a crucial catalyst to achieving human development for all and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The IGAD policy Frameworks on Ending Drought Emergencies (EDE) through Drought and Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI), Country Programme Papers, and Regional Programming Papers, are complementary to the Cross-Border Programme and contribute to broad resilience outcomes in the HOA.

With the support from the UN, the two countries have developed a multidimensional implementation framework to operationalise the MoU. The framework will transform the cross-border area of Turkana, West Pokot counties and Karamoja region into a peaceful and resilient communities by creating an environment for sustainable peace and development, with empowered local communities through a mix of socio-economic transformative programmes.

The overall objective of the framework is to reduce the risks faced by, and vulnerability of communities affected by conflict and other recurrent humanitarian shocks, by bridging isolation gaps and improving their livelihoods through socio-economic programmes.

Specific objectives of the framework

1. Governance, peace and security: To enhance non-violent inter-ethnic interactions and collaboration, build capacities of peace structures, strengthen early warning and early response systems, eliminate SALWs in the region and facilitate cross-border mobility of persons and livestock.

1. Resilience and livelihoods: Build sustainable and diversified livelihoods by improving production, productivity, natural resource management and market access.

1. Natural resources governance: Empower local communities to safeguard the environment, and manage and harness natural resources in the region.

 Trade, investment and infrastructure: Enhance access to local, regional and international trade opportunities for livestock, goods and services through infrastructure development, strengthened livestock/human disease surveillance and response, and enhanced border management.

1. Human capital development: Promote equitable access to quality basic services (education, health, safety nets, capacity building).

1. Cross cutting issues: Promote inclusive and equitable growth to secure livelihoods of youth, women and persons with disability; empower women and youth for peace and development; and address human and minority rights issues, including FGM.

1. Institutional Development and Knowledge Management: Strengthen institutional support and cross-border coordination, promote demand-driven research and knowledge-sharing platforms and systems through partnerships, capacity building and resource mobilisation.

The programme will remain in force for a period of five years from the date of entering into force and will be renewed for successive five year periods unless one of the Parties notifies the other Party in writing, of their intention to terminate.

Achievements made under the cross-border programme and future prospects

In line with its developmental mandate, UNDP supports governments and target communities to promote governance, peace and security, inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, climate change and resilience, women and youth empowerment to enhance resilience, and equal economic opportunity.

In respect of this cross-border programme, UNDP has supported, in Kenya, implementation of peace dividend water projects in Turkana and West Pokot counties. This intervention is a model that addresses water needs for human and livestock use, while promoting peace and social harmony in the neighbouring communities, who, together with their livestock, will access water from the facilities.

The facilities, which are ready for commissioning, will also contribute to the public health, sanitation and hygiene needs of countering Covid-19. 

In Uganda, UNDP has provided 28 motorbikes to peace monitors, two (2) border patrol vehicles and communication items to security authorities, thereby strengthening a holistic approach to security coordination with communities.

Through the programme, UNDP has further provided support to health provision through the purchase of the first ever Ambulance for Amudat – one of the far-flung border districts in the Karamoja cluster. This is used especially for maternal and child medical services.

Additionally, the ambulance has facilitated emergency response by the district health team, including responding to Covid-19 pandemic, which has been critical in these last few months.

The above are a testimony of the commitment that UNDP has in working together with the two Governments and with the two UNCTs of Kenya and Uganda, for the benefit of the people of this region and on delivering on the promise of the SDGs of “Leaving no one behind.”

In addition, during the signing of the MoU in Moroto, the Head of State directed the construction of three mega dams in Turkana, Werst-Pokot and Marsabit. The work has commenced in Naku’etum in Turkana County; Kasei in West Pokot County; and Forore-Aldere in Marsabit County.

The Government of Kenya will continue to work with its counterpart Government of Uganda, UNDP and UNCTs to advance the agenda of securing a peaceful, just and prosperous corridor, not only in the Karamoja cluster but in other cross-border areas.