Drought: Turkana women on cross border peace mission
Women and children at Kodekode Village in Ngamia One, Turkana County in September last year. Due to drought in the region, men have moved to other areas with their animals in search of pasture and water, leading to scramble for the same, and cross border conflict.
What you need to know:
- Husbands and sons to Turkana County women, who live along the border of Uganda have become highly mobile searching for pasture and water for their livestock.
- The women now take an active role in peace building because once men are killed and livestock stolen, they are left with a difficult task of raising children.
Turkana County women, who live along the border of Northern region of Uganda have stepped up efforts to cement peace at the borderland which is currently experiencing drought.
Elizabeth Lokwawi from Letea Village says as a result of the drought, their husbands and sons have become highly mobile searching for pasture and water for their livestock.
“Our husbands and sons are forced to cross over to Moroto and Kotido districts in Uganda to access grazing fields and watering points. This makes them vulnerable to deadly conflicts and livestock theft,” Ms Lokwawi says.
She explains that insecurity cases along the border are always high during drought season due to the pressure on available pasture and water. This results to deaths, leaving behind widows and orphans.
Margaret Kaliba from Nakitong'o village says they now take an active role in peace building missions because once men are killed and livestock stolen, widows are left with a difficult task of taking care of children, in mostly relying on unreliable relief food supplies or begging from neighbours.
"As women from border villages that include Nawountos, Loreng, Ngamorkirionok, Oropoi, Kalae and Lokipoto, we have formed peace committees where we regularly engage in effective peacebuilding like dialogues and mediation," Ms Kaliba says.
She notes that women have carried the burden of insecurity for long but are rarely represented, adequately, in peace negotiations.
Mainstreaming gender
In a UN Women-supported Rural Women Peace Link project, women are captured in the second phase of Kenya National Action Plan (KNAP).
KNAP is a policy framework that provides direction on the mainstreaming of gender in peace building and conflict management.
The project’s objective is to strengthen leadership and participation of rural women in shaping laws, strategies, policies and programmes on all issues that affect them.
"The training equips us with skills to pursue new livelihoods as we fight for peace, because the UN’s landmark framework on women, peace and security reaffirms the important role women play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts," Ms Kaliba says.
The women now want the county government to facilitate them in discussing peace among ourselves and engaging women from neighbouring pastoral communities in Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
They note that without peace, development programmes initiated by respective governments and partners like roads, schools and health facilities won't be utilized to improve their living standards.
The women who recently joined hundreds of pastoralists from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia to commemorate the Lokiriama Peace Accord sealed in 1973, applaud Turkana Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai’s and Uganda Minister for Mineral Resources Peter Lokeris’ commitment to open up the borders through investment on good roads, health facilities, markets and livestock production.
"We want roads linking our remote villages to Uganda to enable us engage in cross border trade as an alternative source of livelihood," Ms Kaliba says.
UNSCR 1325
In 2012, Kenya committed to address and respond to immediate and long-term needs of women in peace and security by developing a National Action Plan on Unites Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325.
UNSCR 1325 affirms that peace and security efforts are more sustainable when women are equal partners in the prevention of violent conflict, the delivery of relief and recovery efforts and in the forging of lasting peace.
These efforts are in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which angles to achieve gender equality and at the same time, empower women and girls globally.
