Youth Involvement in Peacebuilding Initiatives and Their Role in Promoting Inter-Communal Peace Along the Turkana–West Pokot Border

Abstract

Intercommunal violence along the Turkana and West Pokot border in northern Kenya continues to undermine peace, livelihoods, and development despite sustained interventions by state and non-state actors. This study assessed the influence of youth involvement in peacebuilding initiatives on inter-communal peace between Turkana and West Pokot counties. Specifically, the study evaluated youth-led peace initiatives, their impact on fostering peace, the effectiveness of conflict prevention mechanisms, and the role of legal and institutional frameworks in supporting youth participation and awareness. The study was anchored in Peace building Theory (Lederach, 1997) and Conflict Transformation Theory (Galtung, 1996; Lederach, 2003), which emphasize inclusive participation, relationship-building, and long-term transformation of conflict dynamics. A descriptive survey design employing a mixed-methods approach was adopted to capture both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of youth engagement in peacebuilding processes. The study was conducted in selected wards of Turkana County (Lobokat, Kaputir, and Katilu) and West Pokot County (Mosool, Sook, and Sekerr). The target population comprised youth, civil society organizations, government officials, and community elders. From this population, a sample size of 442 respondents was drawn. A total of 318 respondents returned usable questionnaires, representing a response rate of 71.9%. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS Version 27 through descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations, as well as inferential statistics comprising correlation and multiple regression analysis. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis to complement and enrich the quantitative findings. The findings revealed that youth actively participate in peacebuilding initiatives, with moderate to high engagement in dialogue forums, cultural exchanges, sports activities, livelihood programmes, and peace caravans (composite mean = 3.78). These initiatives were found to moderately enhance communication (M = 3.84), trust (M = 3.76), social cohesion (M = 3.81), and reduction of stereotypes (M = 3.69) among communities along the border. Multiple regression analysis established that youth initiatives significantly explain variations in inter-communal peace outcomes (R² = 0.426, p < 0.05), indicating a statistically significant contribution to peacebuilding efforts. However, youth participation remains irregular and constrained by limited resources, elite capture, weak institutional coordination, and persistent structural socio-economic challenges. The study further established that conflict prevention mechanisms, including mediation, negotiation, reconciliation, peace committees, and early-warning systems, are moderately effective in promoting inter-communal peace, with mediation receiving the highest rating (M = 4.12). Nevertheless, their effectiveness is undermined by delayed response systems (M = 3.55), coordination gaps (M = 3.62), and resource constraints (M = 3.48). In addition, although legal and institutional frameworks supporting peacebuilding exist, youth awareness remains low (38%), and participation in formal peace structures remains below 30%, reflecting weak grassroots implementation and limited institutional outreach. The study concludes that youth initiatives and conflict prevention mechanisms make a statistically significant but moderate contribution to inter-communal peace along the Turkana–West Pokot border. It recommends strengthening youth inclusion, enhancing institutional coordination, improving early-warning responsiveness, and increasing legal awareness to promote sustainable peacebuilding and long-term inter-communal peace in the region