How conflicts reverse pastoralist women's gains

Ms Salante Lebulkash from Narasha village in Isiolo County is still traumatised by the effects of a conflict that saw her lose what she and colleagues considered a lifetime investment.

The chairlady of Memirlosho Women Group had mobilised more than 50 colleagues to pull resources to invest in eco-tourism manyattas. This, the women reasoned, was a sustainable way of generating extra income from local and foreign tourists interested in experiencing the rich Samburu culture and lifestyle.

But barely a year into this project, a conflict erupted between her community and their neighbours at the border of Laikipia and Isiolo counties, prompting a security operation that saw their homes burnt down in 2020. The ecotourism manyattas were not spared either.

“We were accused of harbouring cattle rustlers who invaded homesteads in Tiamamut village, Laikipia County, and shot dead a herder. The truth is that the livestock thieves did not come from our village, but we ended up being casualties of inter-community conflicts,” said Ms Lebulkash, through an interpreter.

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The women leader, who spoke to nation.africa on the sidelines of the 7^th Indigenous Women Conference at a Nyeri hotel last week, said insecurity and inter-community conflicts are derailing women economic empowerment and property ownership.

The two-day event brought together representatives from 16 indigenous communities from 14 counties. It heard that perennial conflicts, climate change effects and entrenched societal norms in patriarchal societies were the major impediments in the paths towards “liberation of pastoralist women from the shackles of male dominance”.

Landownership

One of the main objectives of the meeting, jointly organised by the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health and the Defenders Coalition, was to interrogate indigenous women’s inclusion and participation in land ownership, control and management.

While the enactment of Community Land Act, 2016, has been hailed as a milestone towards creating opportunities for pastoralist women to own land for the first time since Independence, teething hurdles are derailing registration of communal land, which was previously held in trust by the government.

The Act requires communal land be registered under the name of community whose members have the same ancestral history. A communal title deed is then issued, empowering members to decide how to utilise this natural resource without seeking authority from the government.

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More than five years since the enactment of the Land Act, only a few tracts of community land has been registered across 24 counties. The latest data from the National Land Commission indicates that 11 communal parcels have complied with the new Act. There are more than 100 community parcels and group ranches expected to undergo through the community land registration process.

This registration gives communities the authority to decide on investment projects to improve their livelihoods, besides positioning themselves for compensation from the national government in case a flagship projects like the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor traverses through their land or Horn of Africa Road Project.

One of the provisions of the Act is that a third of either 15 or seven community land management committees must be women. However, obstacles, among them insecurity like in the case of Ms Lebulkash, will have to be addressed first in conflict-prone counties of Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Marsabit, Turkana, Mandera and Tana River that lead to migration and displacements.

Treated as property

Another challenge facing property ownership is the traditional governance systems that still treat women as ‘property’.

“We have been trying to break down the traditional governance structures at the community level, which excludes women from property ownership. I, coming from a patriarchal society where women voices are not taken seriously, have been championing the creation of space for women voices to be heard when community land is being registered,” said Ms Jane Meriwas, the executive director of Samburu Women Trust, one of the organisers of the conference.

Ms Meriwas told the participants that women, notably widows, single women and those with disabilities, still face discrimination, not only from the larger society but from their own relatives. One of the victims of family sanctioned discrimination is Ms Nalarusi Lesokoyo, a widow from Ol Donyiro ward in Isiolo who almost lost her land after her name was substituted with that of an in-law.

“I had given out my name when the adjudication process began at Ol Donyiro urban centre in February this year. But when we were called for verification to pave the way for the processing of title deeds, a friend alerted me that my name had been substituted with that of an in-law,” said Ms Lesokoyo, who has never been to school.

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The mother of four is now a proud landowner, having already received her title deed, but fears abound that the relatives might in future force her to sell the land.

“We are engaging the county government and the National Land Commission to come up with a legislation barring women from being forced to sell land either by their husbands or close relatives in case of widows and single mothers,” disclosed Ms Meriwas.

Proposed state agencies

Similar sentiments were expressed by a participant, Ms Felistus Kashu, from Kajiado County who noted that girls and women have yet to win the property ownership war.

“I am a married woman, but in the previous group ranches, women and unmarried girls were never included. Even with the coming of the new Act, we remain fearful that girls will be left out of the community land register and include only men and sons,” said Ms Kashu.

The conference passed a number of resolutions, which, if adopted, will see the envisaged gains by indigenous women are protected.

The Defenders Coalition proposed the creation of a ministry of pastoralism and indigenous people to oversee pastoralist-friendly policies in education, health and affirmative action, among other sectors.

“Once we have a new government in place after the August General Election, we shall be calling for the establishment of a body—National Authority on the Affairs of Indigenous People. This body will tackle issues of empowerment of indigenous women and girls, community livelihoods and socio-cultural development,” proposed Mr Kamau Ngugi, the executive director of the Coalition.

Some of the communities represented included hunter gatherers and fisher folks among them the Ogiek, Sengwer, Ilchamus, El Molo, Oromo, Yiaku Eldorois, Watta, Pokot, Samburu, Maasai, Somali, Rendile and Turkana.

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