Climate Shocks, Resource Scarcity, and Conflict: The Turkana-Pokot Violence in Kenya’s Fragile Borderlands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/jirp.v3i1.6795Keywords:
ASAL, Climate Shock, Conflict, Kenya, Pokot, Resource Scarcity, TurkanaAbstract
This study aimed to investigate how climate shocks influence the dynamics of conflict between the Turkana and Pokot communities in Kenya. The research was grounded on Homer Dixon’s environmental Scarcity theory (EST). The research design used in this study was a mixed-methods research design, which was a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of research. More than that, the research used secondary and primary data collection. The primary data was gathered from a sample of 130 participants through questionnaires and key informants (KIIs). Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were used in analysing the collected data. The research observed that climate shock is one of the major contributors to an escalation of intercommunal tensions due to i) the creation of resource shortage, ii) interference with pastoralist livelihoods, and iii) inciting territorial encroachment. The study also established that these stressors are combined with the pre-existing structural weaknesses, such as poor institutions, to worsen the local tensions into violent conflict. The article shows that environmental destruction does not directly lead to the occurrence of violence, but when it is combined with weak governance and economic deprivation, an outcome of conflicts can be achieved. In the absence of specific measures, climate shocks will remain a force multiplier to conflict in an area that has been characterized by fragility and insecurity.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Joyce Cheruto Keter, Martin Odhiambo Ouma, Kenneth Mbali
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