Effectiveness of the Conflict Management Mechanisms in Land Use Conflicts in West Pokot County, Kenya

Abstract

West Pokot County, Kenya has experienced land use conflicts for a very long time. Land is a very important resource for pastoralists and agropastoralists’ livelihood. Formal Conflict management mechanisms were established to manage land use conflict in West Pokot County however, the conflicts persisted. The Constitution of Kenya 2010, transformed the conflict management mechanisms by integrating the formal and the informal mechanisms. The judiciary system of conflict management was complimented by the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and the traditional dispute resolution mechanisms. Despite the integration of the formal and informal conflict management mechanisms, land use conflicts have persisted in West Pokot County, Kenya. Therefore, this study explored the effectiveness of the conflict management mechanisms in transforming land use conflicts in West Pokot County. The study used the conflict transformation theory to analyze the effectiveness of the conflict management mechanisms in transforming land use conflicts in the county. It used both descriptive and explanatory research designs to give the actual picture and explanations of the effectiveness of the conflict management mechanisms in West Pokot County. The questionnaire, interview schedule, focused group discussion and observation schedules were used to collect data primary data. This study used the SPSS to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed using qualitative analysis. The findings of the study shows that the conflict management mechanisms in West Pokot County are not effective in the transformation of land use conflicts. Complete implementation of the conflict management mechanisms will improve the transformation of land use conflicts in West Pokot County.