Laikipia is buckling under the pressure of a massive influx of armed pastoralists and their herds numbering over 135,000 cattle together with 200,000 sheep and goats. To the outside world, this crisis has been painted variously as a desperate search for pasture by drought stricken tribesmen, or as a popular struggle to right to wrongs of Kenya’s colonial past.
This anonymous (the reason why will become obvious) report looks at the crisis from the ground level, seeking to bring into sharper focus the real underlying causes and contemporary drivers of the invasions. This research explores the long trajectory of insecurity and the particular nature of the violence, juxtaposing these grassroots testimonies with many of the popular narratives circulating among the media and political rhetoric today.
It reveals that the central aims of the invasions are geared towards an aggressive expansion of territory in both a geographical and political sense. The vast majority of Laikipia’s invasion victims have suffered through insecurity and forced displacement in silence over a number of years. It is impossible to find precise figures, but Laikipia’s internally displaced certainly exceeds 10,000 and scores have been killed. Despite the security operations since March, violence continues.
Read the complete report by clicking on the link below.