SUMMARY

For most of Kenya´s ethnic groups, cattle play a vital role. They not only serve as the main food supply for many tribes, but are also of considerable spiritual value, are used as bride prizes and serve different functions in religious rituals. Resulting from this importance of cattle, cattle raids between rival tribes have a long tradition. With the increased availability of modern weapons, such cattle raids became more violent and deadly. Those clashes can furthermore be characterized by a circular pattern since in order to assure survival, raided tribes must retaliate against other tribes to replenish lost livestock. Such cattle raids are especially frequent in the densely populated Rift Valley Province of Kenya, where the Pokot and Samburu live.

The tensions caused by cattle raiding were aggravated by accusations against the government and the police to not be impartial. Notably, the Samburu were largely disarmed by the government in a general disarmament program, while the Pokot were allowed to keep their arms. This led to an imbalance of power between the groups.

The non-state conflict between the Pokot and the Samburu is first included in UCDP data in 2006. In September of that year fighting between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.