Paper short abstract:

Known for beautiful parks, ranches, and wildlife conservation, Laikipia County is Kenya’s epicenter of conservation efforts, with 43 ranches occupying 50% of the total land area and 24 private conservancies. Drought has led to tensions in recent years between the conservancies and the pastoralists

Paper long abstract:

The idea that the African continent was uninhabited before the coming of the whites was a mythical statement. The perception that land was virgin and only wild animals roomed all over was a misconception. The African continent had people who although few practised subsistence farming and pastoralism.

The coming of European settlers led to the massive destruction of forest cover to clear land for plantation farming and intensive hunting and especially of elephants and rhinos for their precious ivory and horns. The end result of these activities led to the destruction of ecosystems. Unfortunately, the European settlers blamed the Africans for the ecological damage thereby creating hunting reserves that were no go zones for the Africans. The reserves were converted into national parks, ranches, and wildlife conservation.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) set out to conserve nature. This led to the creation of conservation institutions. This was supported at a conference in Arusha in 1961. Thereafter, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) funded European conservation experts to come and conserve nature in Africa. Although a report by the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations observed that indigenous people ensure the protection of world territory, this does not apply in Laikipia. The experts believed nature could only be conserved by pushing away the natives from their ancestral areas to create protected areas for wild animals.

Pastoralism is a community’s way of life, their cultural identity that is pegged to land. The conservation carried out in Laikipia ought to have a mutual understanding among the inhabitants: both human and non-human, land for pasture and water for their animals. The hiving off and fencing of conservancies are tantamount to selling indigenous rights in the name of conservation. Compensation, savage remarks on the people’s culture and boardroom consultations may not end perennial conflicts in Laikipia.