Violence in Kenya: a climate change dimension

This briefing from the Institute for Security Studies examines the link between climate change and increasing resource-based violence in Kenya, specifically focusing on conflicts between the Turkana and Samburu communities in the country's driest regions.

• An attack on 14 November 2012 in Baragoi, Samburu North District, where 42 Kenyan police officers were killed by Turkana cattle raiders, exemplifies a pattern of insecurity in Kenya leading up to the March 2013 presidential elections. While cattle are culturally central to the Turkana and Samburu, the intensity of attacks and the weaponry used by raiders are described as new phenomena.
• Climate change acts as a trigger for security threats and socio-economic instability across the continent by increasing the frequency of natural disasters and reducing the quality and quantity of renewable environmental resources. This resource scarcity leads to environmental and social insecurity, which manifests as an increase in ethnic clashes due to the marginalisation of communities regarding power and resource access.
• Severe drought caused by climate change has rendered the traditional nomadic lifestyle of pastoralists in northern Kenya unsustainable, as they can no longer return to home areas after searching for grazing land during dry seasons. Proposed solutions include the settlement of nomadic and semi-nomadic communities and the restocking of herds.
• Addressing resource-based conflicts requires climate change adaptation through the settlement of pastoral communities, which would necessitate government provision of infrastructure, health, education, and stronger institutions. The document argues that military responses are not the solution and advocates for shifting economic dynamics and implementing traditional dispute resolution mechanisms based on compromise and negotiation.

APA

Boucher, L. (n.d.). Violence in Kenya: a climate change dimension. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/violence-in-kenya-a-climate-change-dimension

Chicago

Boucher, Lucie. Violence in Kenya: a climate change dimension. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/violence-in-kenya-a-climate-change-dimension.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boucher |first1=Lucie |title=Violence in Kenya: a climate change dimension |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/violence-in-kenya-a-climate-change-dimension |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boucherndviolence, author = {Boucher, Lucie}, title = {{Violence in Kenya: a climate change dimension}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/violence-in-kenya-a-climate-change-dimension}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }