Entwined economies of violence: understanding borderland conflict and resource politics in northern Kenya

Abstract

This article explores longstanding conflict between Turkana and Pokot pastoralist communities in northern Kenya, close to the country's border with Uganda. Conflict in this region has consistently defied interventions by both governments and development organisations. While numerous studies have emphasised the worsening situation, often in relation to climate change and ensuing forms of resource scarcity, few have illuminated the intricate connections between the commercialisation of livestock theft and other forms of politically motivated, territorial resource-based violence. To address this gap in existing analyses of conflict in the pastoral borderlands, the article draws on four years of fieldwork, employing mixed-method approaches, including participatory community videos, to understand the dynamics of conflict. By situating shifting patterns of violence within the context of northern Kenya's reconfiguration as a frontier of anticipation, the article underscores the complexity and the multidimensional nature of this violence, arguing that solutions must be more attuned to the evolving realities of the borderlands.