A history of war between herders and crop farmers

Conflict between Pokomo and Orma communities goes back to the 17th century, when they started settling along the Tana River from their different origins in Ethiopia and Somalia.

From the onset, their incompatible lifestyles saw the peasant farmers and the pastoralists engaged in perennial conflict over ownership and use of land, pasture and water resources.

Under the colonial administration this was resolved through farmers allowing the herders pasture land and water corridors called malka, with the understanding that when the dry spells were over the pastoralists would go back to their hinterland areas.

Today this is no longer respected or honoured by the Orma and Wardei communities that perceive land as God-given to be shared by all, while their neighbours, the Pokomo, believe it to be your own land.

In his 2007 study, the Conflict and its Socio-Economic Impact in Garsen Division of Tana River District, researcher Martin Pilly of Moi University noted that environmental factors and cultural differences between the communities lead to different perceptions towards the resources.

The researcher was of the view that as long as the environmental and cultural factors did not change, the hostility and animosity between the pastoralists — Orma/Wardei — and the peasant farmers — Pokomo — would continue.

With the Pokomo claiming the land along the river and the Orma/Wardei claiming the waters of the river, this will continue to be the major cause of conflicts that are usually predictable.

According to the researcher, the fights between the communities and their different yet uncompromising lifestyles have led to deaths through the use of crude weapons such as clubs, spears and bows.

However, he noted that the increasing introduction of small firearms and light weapons has caused the number of casualties to escalate, with more property destroyed than in the past.

The communities feel insecure due to the government failure and ineffectiveness to respond to violence thus the need to arm themselves such as the pastoralists believed to source their firearms from their relatives in Garissa and Ijara districts that border the Tana River County.

Killed two people

A chronology of the more recent conflicts can be traced as far back as 1980 at Ngao Irrigation Scheme when Orma from Kipao village attacked the Pokomo farmers and killed two people.

Speaking by telephone, the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) national secretary Faith Riziki who comes from the county called for large-scale disarmament to rid the area of illegal firearms.

She expressed fear the retaliation by the “injured” community against its perceived adversaries could be deadly and shocking to the country.

“Let the government not wait until is too late because what lurks there is predictable to the human mind,” she said.

The secretary called on the government to intensify security and patrols between the warring communities to “stifle” any planned revenge attacks.