Baringo Launches Peace Initiative to Resolve Tribal Conflicts

BARINGO, Kenya — A new peace initiative has been launched in Baringo County aiming to resolve long-standing conflicts among the Tugen, Illchamus, and Pokot communities through a three-year dialogue and reconciliation process. The program, named ‘Dialogue and not guns, is the path to peace,’ is led by Anglican Development Services (ADS-Kenya) and seeks to mend the fractures caused by years of violent confrontations in the region.

According to Kenya News Agency, who spoke at the event held at the Kenya Forest Research Institute in Marigat town, the initiative will encourage the communities to foster peace by valuing mutual respect and cooperation. Over 100 opinion leaders from the affected communities were commissioned as peace ambassadors during the ceremony. Archbishop Sapit emphasized the church’s crucial role in guiding the reconciliation efforts, noting that the continuous violence has resulted in significant displacement, widowing, and orphaning within these communities.

The archbishop received a 19-point memorandum from the newly appointed peace ambassadors, outlining their commitment to grassroots peacebuilding. He expressed optimism about the potential transformation from conflict to productive activities, emphasizing the importance of peace for development.

Local leaders, including Rt Rev Musa Kamuren (Baringo), Rt. Rev David Lebarleiya of Mararal, and several county officials, supported the Archbishop’s statements and participated in subsequent visits to internally displaced persons camps and a foundation laying ceremony for a new church facility.

The county executives, including Peninah Bartuin and Maurine Limashep, stressed the importance of education and the abandonment of harmful cultural practices as essential steps towards sustainable peace and development in the area. They also highlighted the need for the community to identify and isolate criminals who hinder progress rather than stigmatizing entire communities.

The peace steering committee proposed several actions, including organizing peace and cohesion meetings, providing psychosocial support and educational bursaries to affected families, respecting historical boundaries, and enforcing schooling to combat the root causes of banditry in the region.