Abstract
The objective of this paper is to examine the causes, impact and transformation of cattle rustling practices among Pokot of Kenya, Karamoja from Uganda and Turkana from Kenya. It provides a global perspective of cattle rustling to document other countries’ experience to juxtapose with the regional, national and local experience. It highlights from a historical bird view the relations among the neighbouring communities and how they were affected by the advent of cattle rustling practices. The paper also analyses the perception of the colonial governments on the pastoralist’s communities in the region and it impact on policy decisions and resultant effect on their livelihoods. Introduction and acquisition of small arms and light and its implications has been discussed in this paper. It also discusses the causes of cattle rustling during pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. Due to the dynamic nature of the conflicts, it is imperative to epistemologize these changes for evidence-based policy decisions to address the conflict in the region.
Keywords
- Cattle rustling
- historical transformation
- cross border conflict