Exploring the Role of Community Participation Approach in the Management of Protracted Conflicts in Africa: A Case of Tana River County, Kenya

Abstract

The African continent continues to suffer many conflicts resulting from poor management of natural resources. These conflicts have turned into deadly civil wars, and others have become intractable or protracted in nature. For example, conflict over the use of River Tana in the coastal region of Kenya has risen to unprecedented level that requires an urgent attention. It has devastated property, displaced hundreds of innocent civilian populations and has the potential to jeopardize international peace and security as a result of its closeness to the unstable state of Somali. The Tana conflict is an example of a non-linear or multi-causal, inter-communal conflict that cannot be reduced to a single cause. Though, at face value the conflict manifests in the form of competition over scarce resources, such a manifestation masks the roots causes of the conflict. A number of approaches have been employed by different actors to respond to the conflict. However, such approaches have not prevented a relapse into violence. This article seeks to explore the role of community participation approach in the management of protracted conflicts in Africa using the case of the conflict in Tana River County in Kenya. The study established the effectiveness of community participation approach in the management of conflicts. It found out that community participation enhances the sociocultural and economic resources available in the community towards the management of conflict; it fosters community dialogue through mediation, reconciliation, and negotiations; and strategically links the bottom-up empowerment initiatives of the grassroots communities with the top-down protection initiatives of the state. It recommends the recognition and utilization of the potential for community participation available in the grassroots communities in Tana River County. The study used the mixed methods to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The population for the study comprised all residents of Tana River County; NGOs; members of women and youth groups which pursued specific objectives; members of the District Peace Committee (DPC); members of the Gassa council of elders; chiefs, the police; and county administrators. It used simple random and purposive sampling techniques to generate a sample of 445 respondents comprising 387 residents of Tana River County, 42 participants in FGDs and 16 in-depth interviews with key informants to supplement the information obtained from the other sources. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in the form of graphs, charts and frequency tables while qualitative data were analysed and presented using narratives.