A Comprehensive Review of the Underlying Causes of Conflict in the Borderland Areas of Mandera County (Mandera /Dawa and Liben Zone)

The paper provides an overview of the patterns of communal violence in Kenya, as well as to highlight important drivers and prospective peacebuilding strategies along the borderland area in Mandera County of North Eastern Kenya. Several variables that have been identified as crucial in understanding the occurrence of violent communal conflict in Kenya include the politicised nature of ethnicity in the country, as well as the fact that elections and land tenure are intimately tied with ethnic identity. The following four primary factors that contribute to conflict were explored: electoral politics, local resources, boundaries and local authority. These factors were discussed in addition to the dynamics of national politics. The article has also emphasised that particular dynamics are at play in different conflicts. The precise way that different conflict drivers interact with one another varies from case to case, which suggests that actors who are looking to manage and resolve conflicts need to conduct comprehensive analysis of the conflict that is currently taking place. Not only does this imply that all conflicts should be viewed against the backdrop of a state and a political culture in which ethnicity is strongly politicised, but it also suggests that the impact of political dynamics at the national level on communal conflicts will differ from case to case. Keywords: Communal Conflict, Mandera County Borderlands, Electoral Politics, Resource Competition, Ethnic Identity