This presentation is about borderland security in the Horn of Africa, particularly Northern Kenya bordering Ethiopia, Uganda and Somalia. The questions being answered are as follows: What does security mean in different contexts and for different actors? Why is there border contestation among pastoral communities in the Horn of Africa? And what are the policy recommendations for peaceful coexistence among the pastoral communities in the North? The presentation gives a brief history of the pastoral communities in East Africa particularly the Sabaot, Pokot, and Turkana in the Northwest of Kenya, and Somalia, Borana and Oroma communities in the Northeast, and the introduction of the State system which drew borders that affected the pastoral livelihood, leading to pastoral conflicts, and state border security. The lecture explores the East African Community Protocol on Peace and Security objectives on cross-border security, including community-oriented policing as a strategy that helps strengthen security and a trust-building mechanism, communities working with the police, and civil societies to strengthen relations; for instance, the Police Reforms Working Group Kenya (PRWGK), helps to monitor and evaluate the police service.

1. THE ÅLAND ISLANDS PEACE INSTITUTE
Ways of Managing Border Security in the Horn of Africa
Clifford Collins Omondi Okwany
The 2023 Peace Fellow:
Åland Islands Peace Institute

2. Introduction
FOCUS
Why is there border contestation among pastoral
communities in the Horn of Africa?
What does security mean in different contexts and
for different actors?
What are the policy recommendations for peaceful
coexistence among the pastoral communities in the
North?
• Nationhood/territorial Autonomy vs ethnic territoriality
• Karamojong vs Pokot
• Pokot vs Turkana
• Sabaot vs Bukusu
• Somalia communities vs Shabaab
• Pastoral livelihood covers Arid and Semi-Arid regions which is 75% of the land
in the Horn (AFSA 2017)
• Pastoral livelihood contributes 57% of the Horn’s GDP and 30-40% in the East
African Community (AFSA 2017).

3. Why are there border contestation among pastoral
communities in the Horn of Africa?
• Berlin conference of 1884-1885
• Natural resource endowment, ownership
and control
• Pastoral migration
• Drought
• Climate change
• Refugees (about 3.6 million)
• Semi-territoriality scenario
• International borders and internal control
as hallmarks of nationhood.
• High state security, politico-military
leadership and lack of understanding of
Border dynamics

4. What does security mean in different contexts
and for different actors?
State view of border security; absence of
threats
• Illegal cross-border as a threat
• Illegal arms as a threat
• Pastoral traditions such as cattle rustling as a
threat
• Removal of threats and enforcement of
territorial autonomy of states (see, for
example, the EAC Peace and Security
Protocol)
• 1648, the peace of Westphalia thinking of
control
• Organized violence
• Territoriality
• Statist thinking
Pastoral communities’ view of border
security; absence of fear
• Cross-border migration as survival
• Illegal weapons as a survival
• Traditional practices, and natural resources
such as rivers, and pasture as survival
• Survival and push for territorial autonomy of
ethnic identity
• Ekisil is a Turkana and Karamojong’(Bokora
sub-clan) word, meaning the absence of threat
(it is an offensive and a defensive concept)
and Ekibaket means the situation of war.
• Ethnic thinking of control.
• Ontological security
• Community-oriented thinking

9. What are the policy recommendations for peaceful
coexistence among the pastoral communities in the North?
What is happening
• States territoriality scenario.
• Organized violence.
• Traditional state power centralization.
• Horn Countries’ policies focus on
border security and the
commercialization of pastoral
livestock as opposed to how natural
borders shape pastoral livelihoods.
• Physical security as a strategy for
managing borders.
• What should be done
• Community-oriented mechanism
• Strengthen the agenda African Union Flagship
Policy of Agenda 2023 and East Africa Strategy on
Peace and Security, stipulating the right of pastoral
livelihood that transcends national borders.
• EAC peace and security protocol (Article 3
promotion of community and good
neighbourliness).
• Integration of Pastoral indigenous knowledge.
• Strengthen Police reform working group and
community-policing mechanisms as border
security. For example, PRWGK
• Ontological security as a strategy for managing
borders.