Kenya: Ford Foundation, AMWIK Join Hands to End Resources Conflict

By Lilian Museka

NAIVASHA---As we drive to the rough road through to the location of the event, we are met by women, children and old men dancing and singing to welcome us. One thing strikes me: there are no youth. When we alight, ready to begin the event, I find out from one of the old men why the youth are absent. He tells me that quite a number of them are dead.

“When the white man left, he sold the land to one community but the other community which believed to be the owners of the land felt shortchanged. War broke out. They fought until the Court of Appeal came in and divided the land. By then, most of our youth who were fighting had already died,’ says John Ole Lindy, the chairman of Ngambani area.

During a cultural peace festival organized by the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) in conjunction with Ford Foundation, area Divisional officer of Maiella overlooking Mau ranges in Naivasha,   Issak Abdullah Aden also blamed women for contributing to the clashes.

“Women also contributed to the clashes by inciting their men against their neighbours and this led to the killing of many people especially the youth”, he said.

Ms Aden called on the two communities (Maasaisand Kikuyu) living in the area to stop the conflicts and allow development to take place.

Speaking at the same venue, area Councillor  Mujing’a Kariuki also stressed on the need for peace if the area was to be developed.

“For us to see development, peace must be kept. We have no schools, no roads, and market for our products because of the clashes,’ he said

Residents are now hopeful that peace is finally theirs to enjoy following a landmark Court of Appeal ruling last year  over a four decade old land dispute over the 16,000 hectares of land. 

 The dispute dates back to 1964 when the Italian settler recalled only as “Roska” by many left for his country.  According to Maiella Assistant Chief Julius Njoroge some of his workers formed a Cooperative to purchase the piece of land which is an Italian term for a collection of ranges joined together on the ground.  The Maasais on the other hand, he said claimed the land as their ancestral land.

However the court in its ruling last year apportioned 4,287 hectares of land to the group of Maasai families who claimed that the land was “their ancestral land,” while the members of the Ngati farmers Co-operative society who had bought the land from the settler retain the estimated 11,713 hectares.  The resource based conflict has been perceived as being tribal since the members of the Ngati cooperative have mainly been from the Kikuyu community.

According to AMWIK Executive Director Jane Thuo, AMWIK first heard of the plight of Maiella residents from some members of the 10 groups it has been working with in Naivasha on a Peace, Human Rights and Reconciliation project since 2008. 

Thuo said for the groups the recurrent conflict flare ups in Maiella were a threat to peace in Naivasha.  Coincidentally the court ruling was delivered as AMWIK sought resources to expand the peace programme beyond Karagita and the environs.

Last year, Naivasha DO 1  Timothy Nderitu while opening a Maiella radio listening group facilitators workshop, welcomed AMWIK and Ford Foundation’s entry into Maiella saying he was confident that the land dispute resolution in the area was going to be a “case study” for many.  He added that peace is like a young infant which needs constant nurturing. He said the entry of AMWIK and other organizations interested in preaching peace will help the community in ensuring that peace was sustained.