The Role of Community Communication in Conflict Resolution among Pastoral Communities in Marsabit County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate the of role community communication in conflict resolution among pastoral communities in Marsabit County, Kenya. The study used descriptive and phenomenological study design to establish the influence of independent variables on the dependent variables as a community based strategy in conflict resolution among livestock keepers. The population of Gabras was 141,200 while Borana are 276,236 giving a total of 417,476 (KNBS, 2019). The researchers used both convenience and purposive sampling methods to gather data from household members (residents, elders, women leaders and religious leaders) and key informants. The researchers adopted (Nasuirma, 2000) model to determine the study sample size of 100 community members. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the household members and unstructured interview guides to gather data from the key informants. According to the findings, one of the main causes of conflict was competition to use natural resources including grazing land and water. This was indicated by 53.2% (50) of the respondents involved in the study. From the findings, it was evident that after conflicts it was not easy for the two communities to communicate and forge a way of resolving the conflicts. By implication therefore, the communities had unresolved issues and grudges; which precipitated more and more conflicts. This was indicated by 74.5% (70) of the respondents involved in the study, who indicated that there was no communication in resolving the conflicts. From the respondents, some of the challenges included unwillingness of one side to take part in the conversations, some of whom never even showed up for the conversation; difficulty in reaching a consensus especially when the matter involved loss of lives, as at times that called for revenge. It was recommended that National land commission should develop and update the negotiated land use and plan current grazing patterns to prevent sporadic conflicts, It was further recommended that concerned formal and informal institutions should ensure equitable distribution of resources in the county without bias to some communities. Key words: Conflict resolution, Communication, community, pastoral communities