LocationsInvisible Border, Visible Opportunities: Community Insights on Borderlands Development along the Kenya/Uganda Borders
July 16, 2024
Uganda and Kenya share an important international border spanning three districts in Uganda (Kaabong, Moroto and Amudat) and two counties in Kenya (Turkana and West Pokot). These locations feature highly diverse ecosystems punctuated by farmlands, plains, undulating hills, mountains, rivers, water bodies, natural reserves and parks. Whether from development reports (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and others), conference papers, journal publications, or conversations with communities, one thing remains clear: these districts and counties have some of the richest cultural diversities based on the communities that make the region their home.
Natira community women group in Amudat District, Uganda discuss community perspectives on local development and priorities for women and girls in the context of borderlands development.
A four day engagement between 24-27 June 2024 was organized by UNDP Kenya and UNDP Uganda with communities and stakeholders along the borders between Kenya and Uganda. These engagements sought to consolidate perspectives and insights, with a view of co-designing a borderlands portfolio led by the UNDP Africa Borderlands Center (ABC). This aimed to promote socio-economic development and peace in the border communities of Amudat and Moroto Districts (Uganda) and West Pokot County (Kenya). The portfolio would then be implemented as a partnership between the respective Districts and County Governments, UNDP ABC, UNDP Uganda, UNDP Kenya and local partners.
While in Alale, Pokot North Subcounty, UNDP staff spoke with over 20 women from this community. They belong to two women groups: the Poropcho Women Group and the Ka-tich Women Group. It was useful to understand the circumstances that drove them together, considering the groups were made up of small business owners, traders, some local teachers, young women who had completed their college education, and mothers. Conversations provided us with information about the ongoing need of the women to sustain their families, with daily provisions for food, care for children including payment of school fees, accessing healthcare, meeting socio-cultural community demands, and accessing finances to travel between markets for those involved in trade.
Three weekly market days are held in Alale and Amakuriat centers in Kenya and Loroo across the Uganda border. The weekly market day in Loroo already makes the community a cross-border trading community. However, heading to Loroo to trade was not the only occasion that brought them across what they termed as an "invisible border". They noted that the weather seemed more reliable on the Uganda side of the border. Therefore, much of their farming (largely done by women) and livestock keeping (largely done by men) tended to be on the Uganda side of the border.
Chairwomen of Poropcho Women Group and Ka-tich Women Group in Alale, West Pokot County in Kenya discuss the role of women in local development and opportunities for inclusion and participation for women and girls in the borderlands.
Community journeys across borders have become a norm rather than an exception. These journeys don't commonly follow the few official border crossing points, with crossings generally happening at any convenient place. We also learnt that communities have relatives on both sides of the border, and thus, such journeys were just journeys home. The Natira Community Women Group that we also met in Amudat, Uganda shared similar perspectives about community relations across the border. From the Kenya side, not all women make the journey; some of the women group members engage in gold mining and their journey is much shorter but much more complicated. Their search for gold means they move together with their children into makeshift shelters close to the mines. They stay here for days doing artisanal mining, driven by the desire to provide for their families.
“Our men follow the livestock into Uganda; we the women are left at home. When the time for farming comes, we also travel to areas like Loroo in Amudat to tend to our farms. So, Uganda is also our home and our relatives live there. Loroo is also one of our three weekly market days so we also trade there.”Selina Chepkorir Mayodi, Chairwoman, Poropcho Women Group, Alale, Pokot North sub-county, West Pokot County
A critical learning was about the difficulty of the complex weather system along this region, which largely influenced these movements. The men move with livestock, which is culturally considered their mainstay, while the women farm and the changes in weather patterns dictates where this happens. We heard community perspectives about locations along the Kenyan border straddling along the sides of two important mountains, Mt. Kadam and Mt. Moroto. In effect, the geo-locations of the mountains reduce the total amount of rainfall received annually and this also influences such movements. Therefore, there was a correlation between the complicated variable climate and weather system in the region and choices that have influenced and informed community livelihood systems on both sides of the international border over the decades. These movements have been a fundamental part of communities, building their resilience through migration.
Mission team members conduct a field visit to a community owned farm in Loroo sub-county, Amudat District. Using solar powered irrigation systems, these farmers can farm year-round and support livestock management using the same water supply system.
The women, men and youth engaged during this scoping mission provided fundamental community-level perspectives as part of building this portfolio. Their voices and this inclusion enabled localized appreciation of the underlying community perspectives. Local choices and joint decision-making on initiatives and livelihood options seek to address some of the underlying challenges affecting them. Learning about how the three main sources of livelihood - agriculture, livestock keeping, and trade - were central to community development were noted from across the demography. While collecting these learnings, it was also clear that cultural dynamics play a role at the community level. Such lessons enable the augmentation of perspectives on strengthening mechanisms for access to finance and business skills, support advancing these systems of community livelihoods, and encourage working together to find "culturally acceptable innovations". These insights would enable the practical application of the principles of Leaving No One Behind in the grand design of the cross border portfolio.
“We usually organize sporting competitions between the youth here in Amudat and those from West Pokot right at the border. We compete against each other, but use these events to encourage each other about peace across our community. We also use music and cultural events to reinforce these messages and see the fruits of these continued engagements.”Stanley Krop, Creation Steppers Youth Development Initiative and a local youth musician, Amudat sub-county, Amudat District
Young people across the border demonstrated their potential for doing business in their localities and their continued willingness to shape the fortunes of their communities. They decried the lack of opportunities to gather a wider range of skills and opportunities, which they see as having the potential to facilitate their current businesses so they remain active for many more years. This lack of opportunities often forced them to migrate to urban centers seeking better opportunities.
“As a member of the Karamoja girls movement we take pride in shaping the voices of the local girls in local development. We want to participate and drive the development agenda here in Moroto and in Karamoja. This also ensures that we do not ‘out-migrate’ and that we retain these experiences here to develop our District.”Emma Bala, Member of the Karamoja Girls Movement, Moroto District
Our understanding of the weather system and its impact on livestock movement yielded unique insights. These have shed light on intercommunity conflicts, including their spill overs beyond the focus districts and the challenging issue of pastures access. They also provided a nuanced understanding of livestock management in the context of variable rainfall patterns. Notably, some community conflicts related to livestock-keeping appear to diminish during times of abundance, such as when rains are plentiful, rivers are flowing, and sandy river beds are still rich with water. Discussions on livestock ownership, community migratory patterns, and the broader concept of transhumance across the Karamoja cluster deepened our understanding of the role of peacebuilding and conflict prevention. This understanding is informed by the existence of community peace agreements and discussions led by communities and their leadership on resource sharing arrangements over many years.
“Our women peace forum has been discussing the community challenges on peace through our forums at the parish, sub-county and district level. These discussions are driven by the local women who know and understand what these challenges mean for their families and communities. These engagements are responsible for what you see here as relative peace.”Natalina Achia, Chairperson, Rupa sub-county Women Peace Forum, Woman councilor and speaker Rupa sub-county, Moroto District
Mission team members pose for a group photograph with the Governor of West Pokot County, H.E. Simon Kachapin, Deputy Governor and members of the County Executive Committee, following discussions on the proposed UNDP ABC borderlands portfolio. Similar consultations were held with the leadership of Amudat and Moroto Districts in Uganda.
Once fully developed and under implementation, the portfolio will respond to some of these critical community and government leadership perspectives shared across the borderlands. This Promoting Socio-Economic Development and Peace in the Borderlands portfolio will seek to implement integrated interventions to enhance borderland economic resilience, strengthen micro and small enterprises, improve cross-border mobility and trade, and enhance social cohesion and peacebuilding. The portfolio is supported through the UNDP funding window on Governance, Peacebuilding, Crisis and Resilience (GPCR) and is developed as a multi-country project featuring Kenya and Uganda through the UNDP ABC. The portfolio is generously funded by the Government of Denmark and the Government of Luxemburg.
By David Maina, Humanitarian, Development and Peace Specialist