Managing the Menace of Cattle Rustling and Banditry in North Rift Kenya: The Role of Pokot Women

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to create a discourse surrounding women role in combating cattle rustling and banditry in north rift, Kenya. The article underscores that Pokot women play key roles in instigating cattle rustling and banditry in the north rift region. While media generally perceive women as passive bystanders, it projects men as the protagonists and antagonists during conflict. The thinking that women are only victims of conflicts, just because of the biases in reporting by the media, needs to be critically looked into.

Methodology: The study relied on secondary sources where information from books, journals, periodicals and online opens sources was acquired before deep content analysis was carried and presented in prose.

Findings: The study found that although women bear the brunt of conflicts as the post-Cold War examples clearly show, they are not always on the receiving end. Thus, the suffering that women go through because of conflicts has made them become active participants in such fights. While the article conceded that there are several other causal factors accounting for cattle rustling in the north rift, it finds that the role of Pokot women in fuelling livestock theft is a crucial one.

Recommendation: The article recommended to policy makers that, if meaningful and sustainable peace is to be made in the north rift, they should consider engaging Pokot women in the peacemaking processes.