Turkana and West Pokot county governments have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening peace, cross-border cooperation and resilience among Pastoralists communities.
The commitment was made during a one-day consultative meeting in Lodwar that brought together senior county and national government officials, development partners and other stakeholders to discuss shared challenges affecting communities along the Turkana-West Pokot border.
Turkana was represented by Chief Officers Moses Korea of the Office of the Governor and Janerose Tioko of Resource Mobilisation and Partnerships, alongside officers from the peace building, livestock and disaster management departments and administrators from Loima and Lokiriama.
In his opening remarks, Korea stressed the need for closer cooperation between the two counties in addressing cross-border conflicts, Pastoralists movements and pressure on shared natural resources.
He highlighted the role of the Directorate of Peace Building and Conflict Management in promoting preventive dialogue between communities and government administrators as a means of addressing tensions before they escalate.
In her closing remarks, Tioko said lasting peace and development would require coordinated action involving county and national governments, local communities and development partners.
She urged development partners to continue supporting government-led initiatives and avoid implementing parallel interventions that could undermine coordinated efforts.
The meeting identified three key areas for joint action. These include reviewing the conditions attached to Kenya’s 14 approved inter-county and national cross-border routes used by Pastoralists communities, conducting a joint visit to the Kalomwae mining area to support peace building following recent Turkana-Pokot conflict, and strengthening preparedness for El Niño-related risks among Pastoralists communities.
The meeting was organised in collaboration with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).
Those in attendance included Turkana Central Deputy County Commissioner Rodgers Otieno, West Pokot County Executive Committee Member Esther Chelimo and Chief Officer for Special Programmes Daniel Lopale, alongside other senior officials from the two county governments.
Representatives from the Danish Refugee Council and Caritas Lodwar also attended the consultative meeting.
