SUMMARY

The Moorland Defence Forces (MDF) was a self-defence group that emerged in 2007 in Kenya’s Western Province in the context of the Mount Elgon conflict. (see Mount Elgon Conflict under additional info) Mount Elgon is home to several ethnic groups, out of which the Sabaot is the largest one, accounting for 60% of the districts population. The Sabaot, which is part of the Kalenjin tribe-family, is divided into two sub-tribes: the Soy (also called the Semek) and the Mosop (also called the Ndorobo). These two sub-tribes stem culturally from one community, but are geographically separated, which led over time to diverging lifestyles resulting from different environmental living conditions. The Mosop have their homelands in the moorland in the northern and higher part of the district and make their living by herding and foraging in the forest, while the Soy settled on the lower slopes in the south of the district and are mainly agro-pastoralists. In numbers, the Mosop account for about 20 % of the Sabaot, while the Soy make up for the remaining 80 %.

The creation of MDF was a reaction to increasing anti-Mosop violence by the Soy-dominated SLDF. SLDF was created in late 2005 as a reaction to a poorly implemented and perceived biased state resettlement program, known as Chepyuk III. Since the state for a long time neglected the situation, Mosop started to organise its own defence, ultimately leading to the creation of MDF. Therefore, MDF’s main objective was to protect ethnic Morop against SLDF. The organisations name refers to the moorland, the Morop’s pre-resettlement homeland, to where many Mosop were forced to flee back to by SLDF violence. With increased state presence in late 2007 and, mainly, early 2008 and due to the dissolution of SLDF, MDF lots its raison d’être and gradually ceased to exist.

MDF has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP violence.