• CS Wamalwa says deal has been approved by both governments, MoU signing by end of month.
• Five-year Sustainable Peace Programme aims to reduce border conflicts over water and pasture, enable communities to cross over peacefully.
Image: COURTESY
The United Nations will spend Sh90 million for the first six months of a Kenya-Uganda border peace deal.
Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa said on Monday the aim is to transform their common border into "a haven of peace, a bridge rather than a barrier to cultural interaction and cross-border commerce".
It will involve peacebuilding among the Karamojong of Uganda and the Pokot and Turkana communities of Kenya.
Wamalwa said the five-year Sustainable Peace Programme will begin after signing of an MoU in Moroto, Uganda, this month. The date has not been set.
It will initially be funded by the UN Development Programme.
The goal is to resolve longstanding communal conflicts among these communities, mostly triggered by competition for water and pasture.
Addressing the Joint Technical Committee in Nairobi on Monday to review the final MoU framework, Wamalwa said the programme will encourage unhindered peaceful interaction and movement across the borders.
"In disregard of the historical bonds of heritage, these artificial boundaries alienate our people," Wamalwa said.
The programme will involve joint construction and sharing of infrastructure.
"The region is disadvantaged by decades of marginalisation and harsh climate. But we plan a prospect where, for example, a Pokot pastoralist can peacefully cross and graze his cattle among the Karamojong in Uganda, if the drought on our side is worse."
ASAL PS Micah Powon urged delegates to develop comprehensive work plans as agreed with the West Pokot and Turkana county governments and the Ministry for Karamoja Affairs of Uganda.
He said cultural festivals such as the annual Tobongolore festival in Turkana and the Loyiangalani Peace Festival will promote mutual appreciation of cultures.
The Turkana and Pokot communities have always crossed the border into Uganda during drought.
We plan a prospect where, for example, a Pokot pastoralist can peacefully cross and graze his cattle among the Karamojong in Uganda, if the drought on our side is worse.CS Eugene Wamalw
The migration has resulted in inter-tribal conflicts that have claimed many lives. Numerous herds of livestock have been lost in banditry and rustling raids.
Wamalwa said the two governments and supporting partners have committed resources to sink boreholes, build water and invest in animal health.
"Let's continue working together to see which projects we can develop to integrate these communities to transform these [country] boundaries into bridges," Wamalwa told the meeting.
The process and the projects are supported by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the UNDP.
The money fund projects to cushion the three migrant communities from the effects of climate change, Wamalwa said.
"Climate change and extreme weather have made life difficult for pastoralist communities and heightened tensions resulting in bloody clashes," he said.
Uganda's Ministry of Karamojong Affairs and Kenya's Devolution ministry have both identified projects they want in the programme.
The peace deal is modelled on the one signed between Kenya and Ethiopia in 2015. Wamalwa said the accord "has been immensely successful in turning the tide of tensions and violence among the communities living at their borders".
UNDP's Badawi stressed the UN's commitment to reduce resource-based conflicts among ethnic communities.
"Integrating communities while improving their social economic dynamics will go a long way in ensuring sustainable peace."
The technical committee will agree on the dates of the MoU signing, the programme of the day and the finer details of the deal.
Edited by R.Wamochie