Peace Education Programmes in Combating Cattle Rustling: Case of Tiaty Sub-County, Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract

Peace Education Programmes are designed to enable people think constructively about issues and to develop constructive attitude towards living together and solving issues that arise in the society using peaceful means. Cattle Rustling has become a menace, a conflict affecting both Pastoral and Nomadic communities and other neighbouring communities. Peace education has been embraced as a possible means of addressing this continued rise in cattle rustling incidences. This study sought to assess the peace education programmes adopted by Government of Kenya in combating cattle rustling in Tiaty Sub County, Baringo County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to establish the effectiveness of dialogue approach in combating cattle rustling, to determine the effectiveness of mediation in combating cattle rustling and to assess the effectiveness of disarmament education in combating cattle rustling in Tiaty Sub-County, Baringo County. The study was anchored on Integrative Theory of Peace (ITP) theory developed by Dr. H. B. Danesh in 2006. The target population for the study were 250 number of respondents with a sample size of 153 number of respondents. The study adopted a descriptive survey design using both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches. The data was collected using both questionnaires and interviews guides. A pilot study was undertaken to determine the reliability and validity of the study. Data analysis was done using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings were significant as it provided empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the adopted peace education programmes that enabled the County Government of Baringo and the National Government make informed decisions while trying to combat cattle rustling. The study indicates that the chiefs, Nyumba Kumi representatives and the village elders had adopted dialogue as the main peace education programme to combat cattle rustling since they believed that the programme was effective to a moderate extent. The study also reveals that the use of mediation in combating cattle rustling was effective. The study finally found that the Chiefs, Nyumba Kumi representatives and the village elders indicated that use of disarmament education to combat cattle rustling was less effective. The study concluded that dialogue approach presented a promising and effective strategy for combating cattle rustling in the sub county. Additionally, the study concluded that mediation had demonstrated considerable effectiveness in combating cattle rustling in Tiaty Sub-County, Baringo County. The government should facilitate regular dialogue forums led by community leaders, elders, and representatives from various ethnic groups involved in cattle rustling; the government should provide training in conflict resolution and mediation skills to key community members, including elders, women leaders, and youth representatives. The study also recommends that the government should incorporate traditional conflict resolution mechanisms, such as customary laws and rituals, into the dialogue processes to reach better outcomes. The government should also foster dialogue and cooperation between communities across borders, particularly with neighbouring counties or regions where cattle rustling is prevalent and the government should form partnerships between government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and local authorities to support and sustain dialogue initiatives.