Emancipation of the north: assessing the utility of the Network-for-Networks approach in the CEWARN framework to create a peaceful environment in the Northern Rift Region

Abstract

Cattle rustling has been a perennial issue in the Northern Rift Region of Kenya (NRR). It has led to both loss of lives and loss of livelihoods for the inhabitants of this region. Unfortunately, this persistent practice does not seem to have attracted much attention from the state as evidenced by their reluctance to legislate and directly address the problem. Private individuals and humanitarian actors have been forced to spearhead the movement against cattle rustling in place of the state, with obvious shortcomings. The study has taken a doctrinal legal research approach to ascertain the extent of the state’s primary mandate to maintain peace in the NRR. Using the state of Côte d'Ivoire as a case study, the research also shows how the Network-for-Networks (NfN) approach in the Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism system (CEWARN) can be an effective tool in curbing the effects of cattle rustling in Kenya. CEWARN has proven to be a helpful mechanism in regulating violence in the state of Côte d'Ivoire. This long-term and integrated approach to addressing cattle rustling may be the long awaited solution to Kenya’s never ending cattle rustling debacle.