| dc.description.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 | en_US |
