Intercommunity resource wars, wildlife threaten lives in Samburu

In the rugged heart of Northern Kenya, the rhythm of life in Samburu County is increasingly dictated by the vanishing horizon of water and pasture. 

A worsening drought has pushed the county into flashpoints of desperate survival as the communities continue to grapple with the twin problems of human-wildlife conflict and inter-communal resource wars. 

The scarcity of pasture has also ignited old and new tensions, forcing pastoralists to migrate into contested territories. Similarly, with their natural habitats parched, elephants and other wildlife are increasingly raiding human settlements in search of sustenance. 

At the Laresoro settlement  village, the frequent run- ins between humans and elephants have turned lethal, with residents facing frequent attacks and significant livestock losses. 

The human-wildlife conflict revolves around access to water. To shield themselves from the acute water shortage, communities in the area have resorted to digging shallow water wells on River Ewaso Nyiro, which has since dried up. 

This way, they access the river’s water table and feed their sheep, camels, goats and donkeys. It is later fetched and transported. 

Their innovativeness has, however, attracted unwanted guests such as destructive elephants who visit the wells at night, drink to their fill and cover them up with sand. This then forces the residents to re-dig the wells the next day or dig up new ones to access the scarce resource. 

And for herders, commutes to the well with their animals have also proven dangerous as they encounter elephants and other wild animals.  

This, even as the National Drought Management Authority warns that the mass migration of thirsty animals into human settlements is not a future threat but a daily crisis. 

“Just last week, my sister’s child was killed by an elephant which strayed from the reserve and into our settlement area. That was her only child. I’m still traumatized,” Joyce Elparasoroi, a middle aged mother of three says. 

“We brave the harsh conditions just to get here to the water wells because the other available water from the select boreholes that have been dug up by the government is salty and has led to people and animals getting health complications,” adds Elparasoroi at one of the wells. 

While decrying the four hour-long distance she has to trek just to access the well, the young but visibly distraught Elparasoroi calls on the government to find a permanent solution to the water challenge. 

Doreen Lipaine explains that, in the last four months, three herders have lost their lives due to the conflict between humans and wildlife and is concerned the same could escalate. 

“An elderly herder was trampled to death by elephants while taking his animals to get food and water. We concluded his burial on Saturday. It is just sad,” states Lipaine. 

She said the drought had also brought with it an economic plunder, given that it had driven animal prices down to the extent that “if you take your goats to the market for sale, you are forced to sell them at a throw-away price and the money may not even be enough to afford things such as school fees and food. I’m calling on both the national and county governments to scale up their relief food distribution efforts so that as many affected families as possible can benefit. If this drought persists, more goats, cattle, camels and even more people are going to die,” added Lipaine.

There is also the aspect of inter-community resource related wars where communities fight over the dwindling pasture and grazing land.

Kelvin Lelemoyog, the chairperson of the Laresoro grazing committee, explains that conflicts emanate from the herders encroaching on the pasture in the reserve and moving into other counties in search of water and grass for their livestock.

“To quell the chaos, we hold hold inter-county dialogue forums which bring together people from Laisamis, Chari and Samburu as well as elders to deliberate on how pasture in the various communities is shared out,” remarks Lelemoyog, adding: 

“We also have established a committee which is charged with identifying areas with pastures and pleading with our neighbours on the residents’ behalf that they are allowed to graze their livestock there. Our efforts to embrace dialogue ensures that we do not go to graze in the borders and disputed areas and also prevent any further resource related fighting.” 

Other efforts, he says, is the  supplying of communities with water purifying agents and educating them on their use.

“A lot of animal diseases have been reported in the county because we have an influx of animals from other counties that have come to Samburu in search of water and pasture. To cure these, we have placed community diseases reporters who are trained to give information on the same,” he said. 

Notably, the last time Samburu County received rainfall was in April last year. 

According to NDMA , as the traditional grazing patterns collapse, the resource-driven conflicts will only intensify, if immediate intervention measures are not put in place. 

But Waso Ward MCA Kelvin Lemantaan, while highlighting interventions being undertaken by the county government to address the residents plight, blamed most of their troubles on the drying up of the Ewaso Nyiro river. 

“During heavy rains, the government should consider harvesting water from River Ewaso Nyiro which can then be stored in sun dams.” Lemantaan said.