The Evolution of Cattle-rustling: Recent Developments and New Trends
The act of cattle rustling has evolved over a period from being an accepted
traditional practice sanctioned by the village elders into being a commercialized and criminal
venture, with attendant grave human rights violations. Some of the causal factors that have
contributed to the recent development and new trends in cattle rustling in Kenya and her
neighboring countries are discussed next. New Administrative Units as an Impediment to the
Pastoral Way of Life The establishment of the colonial administration, which introduced the
imposition of permanent tribal boundaries, had major ramifications on the pastoral communities
as these boundaries were set up without due regard to the seasonal variations and demands of the
nomadic lifestyles of the pastoralists. Although the new administrative units were meant to
provide distinct and exclusive units of governance along ethnic lines, pastoral communities were
oftentimes forced to ignore these colonial boundaries during times of drought. This has
inevitably led to tensions between them and the agricultural communities over allegations of
trespass. In the past, such conflicts have led to the loss of lives and damage to crops and
property. An example of a conflict attributable to exclusive units of ethnic governance is the
attack between the Samburu pastoralists and the Laikipia farmers in February 1998 where the
conflict ended with the fatalities of 70 people, Weiss, (2004).
Proliferation of Small Arms
Since time immemorial, the nature of the pastoralists’ way of lifestyle demanded that they be
armed with some form of weapon for purposes of protection or self-defense both for themselves
and their cattle from attacks by wild animals and theft. Bows and arrows were the weapons of
choice. However, in the past three decades, there has been an escalation of cattle-rustling attacks,
which has been fuelled by the increase in small arms. These illegal arms normally originate from
the neighbouring countries which have been experiencing internal strife, including Uganda,
Somali and Ethiopia. This has led to the formation of heavily armed and militarized groups. This
has further led to the rise of criminal gangs who engage in cattle-rustling for purely commercial
reasons. The presence of the illegal arms has led to the commercialization of cattle-rustling and
those who engage in this practice act purely on self-enrichment basis. The Government of Kenya
has been engaged in various disarmament efforts to mop up the illegal arms. However, due to the
porous nature of Kenya’s borders, it is not practically impossible to conduct an effective
disarmament exercise without effectively engaging the neighbouring countries, Abdi, (2004).
KPR and Home guards: Community Policing Initiatives or Avenues for Armament
Another aspect that has been fronted by different pastoralist communities as well as local NGO’s
as the key contributing factor in the increased use of ammunition and increase in cattle-rustling is
the Government’s initiative to recruit and arm the Kenya Police Reservists (KPRs) and home
guards as complementary security providers in the ASALs. While this was initially meant to be a
transparent community policing initiative, the same has been marred with allegations of
corruption, incompetence and favoritism along tribal lines in so far as the decision on who
should be armed as a KPR or home guard is concerned. In some instances, there have been
allegations of political interference with respect to recruitment, as the politicians are said to
ensure that their clan members and/or community members outnumber those of their rivals in the
recruitment exercise. Even more worrying is the fact that there are weak accountability
procedures within the KPR and home guard operations and it has been reported that some of
them either use their official guns to conduct criminal activities like livestock theft or loan out
the said guns to criminals. Although started with the noblest of intentions, it must now be
categorically stated that the KPR and home guard community policing initiative has, on the
contrary, aided in the fuelling of crime and livestock theft among the pastoralist communities.
Militarism and the Emergence of Cattle Warlordism The weakening of state control over the
pastoralist region has resulted in the emergence of cattle warlords who run armed militias to
protect their interests, Ali Chemisto, (2010).
The militarism and emergence of cattle warlordism was first experienced among the Pokot and
Turkana communities from the 1980’s onwards. The first cattle warlord emerged in the 1980’s
from the West Pokot community, having recruited about 500 young men who underwent military
training complete with relevant raiding techniques. The first raiding missions were held in
Tugen, Marakwet and Keiyo and later spread to the Turkana, Karamajong of Uganda, and
Toposa of Ethiopia. The system of cattle warlordism has gained prominence over the years for
various reasons. First, there is the fact that the high numbers of destitute, uneducated youth who
are desperate to eke a living by any means necessary have proven an easy recruitment ground for
the warlords. The warlords keep the youth as retainers who are in turn used for livestock theft for
financial gain of the warlords. The second reason is due to the Government’s failure and/or
unwillingness to curb the spread of warlordism through its security systems. In its second fact-
finding mission to Samburu and Isiolo, the KHRC team was reliably informed that the cattle
warlords work hand in gloves with some government security agents in propagating livestock
theft. The KHRC team was informed that the cattle warlords have become increasingly powerful
and that even in instances where stolen livestock has been intercepted by non-complicit junior
security officers, the same have been called with express “orders from above” to let the stolen
livestock free, Paula Palmer (2010).
Political Influence
Bad politics has also been blamed for the spread of the practice of livestock theft among the
pastoral communities. Most of these political leaders are normally anointed by their respective
ethnic spiritual leaders and as a result, the communities that they represent follow and obey what
their leaders tell them faithfully. Some of the political leaders abuse the hallowed positions they
occupy in their communities to mislead their people and/or incite them against other
communities, thereby contributing to an increase in tension among the different communities.
Further, some of the political leaders have been reported to influence the appointment of KPRs
and home guards their communities. These “yes men” of the respective politicians are more
likely than not to act in a way that advances the interests of the said individual politicians as
opposed to advancing the interests of the whole community, Weiss, (2004).
