Exploring the Role of Community Participation Approach in the Management of Protracted Conflicts in Africa: A Case of Tana River County, Kenya
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Date
2018-07
Authors
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Publisher
Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies (JAIS)
Abstract
The African continent continues to suffer many conflicts resulting from poor management of
natural resources. These conflicts have turned into deadly civil wars, and others have become
intractable or protracted in nature. For example, conflict over the use of River Tana in the coastal
region of Kenya has risen to unprecedented level that requires an urgent attention. It has devastated
property, displaced hundreds of innocent civilian populations and has the potential to jeopardize
international peace and security as a result of its closeness to the unstable state of Somali. The Tana
conflict is an example of a non-linear or multi-causal, inter-communal conflict that cannot be
reduced to a single cause. Though, at face value the conflict manifests in the form of competition
over scarce resources, such a manifestation masks the roots causes of the conflict. A number of
approaches have been employed by different actors to respond to the conflict. However, such
approaches have not prevented a relapse into violence. This article seeks to explore the role of
community participation approach in the management of protracted conflicts in Africa using the
case of the conflict in Tana River County in Kenya. The study established the effectiveness of
community participation approach in the management of conflicts. It found out that community
participation enhances the sociocultural and economic resources available in the community
towards the management of conflict; it fosters community dialogue through mediation,
reconciliation, and negotiations; and strategically links the bottom-up empowerment initiatives of
the grassroots communities with the top-down protection initiatives of the state. It recommends the
recognition and utilization of the potential for community participation available in the grassroots
communities in Tana River County. The study used the mixed methods to collect qualitative and
quantitative data. The population for the study comprised all residents of Tana River County;
NGOs; members of women and youth groups which pursued specific objectives; members of the
District Peace Committee (DPC); members of the Gassa council of elders; chiefs, the police; and
county administrators. It used simple random and purposive sampling techniques to generate a
sample of 445 respondents comprising 387 residents of Tana River County, 42 participants in
FGDs and 16 in-depth interviews with key informants to supplement the information obtained from
the other sources. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in
the form of graphs, charts and frequency tables while qualitative data were analysed and presented
using narratives.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Community Participation Approach, Protracted Conflicts, Tana River County
Citation
Musembi, P & Iteyo, C. (2018). Exploring the Role of Community Participation Approach in the Management of Protracted Conflicts in Africa: A Case of Tana River County, Kenya. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(7), 4 – 17