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Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the interplay between climate change, economic upgrading by political elites and low-key conflicts. The paper's perspective focuses on conflictive interests between political elites, investors and local actors by developing a new conflict typology for conflicts among local actors.

Paper long abstract:

Multiple studies link environmental changes to resource degradations, scarcity and violent conflict. Hence, the geographical focus of these studies is mostly concentrated on areas which experience resource shortages due to climate change and violent conflicts most time of the year. However, the increased concentration of the Kenyan government to promote economic development in order to create employment opportunities but also to strengthen the Kenyan GDP, more often contributes to inequality, generates instability, and challenges the relationship between different local actors. As a result of the commercialisation of the water resources at Lake Naivasha, a growing number of national and multi-national companies have arrived around this lake since the late 1980s. Accelerated by the population increase, the available amount of water for farmers, fishermen, and pastoralists is deteriorating. At first glance, this seems surprising given the enormous water levels at Lake Naivasha. Yet, today's water shortage is less aggravated by climate change than by the chemical and waste disposal of the flower farms and the hotels. Drawing on my research trip to Lake Naivasha in summer 2018, my findings illustrate how national and multi-national companies impact on various local conflicts around the lake. Strikingly, local populations challenge the investors through non-violent protest, while violence occurs only among farmers, fishermen and residents around Lake Naivasha. The paper intends to develop a conflict and actor typology for conflicts arising between local level actors linking national and global (economic) process of decision-making and their impact on water shortages at water-abundant.