Success Stories

‘…initially, women did not attend peace meetings and the few who attended did not give their opinions. They were only involved in household chores. Peace issues were left to the husbands. As a result, women suffered because they did not have forums in which they could raise their issues. For example, they did not report suspects who either ended up being killed, or caused harm on others or even stole livestock from other communities. This are incidents that could have been prevented if women reported these cases in time. Women were not aware of insecurity issues and that is why they could always migrate to other areas because they were told to do so. Nowadays, they are able to settle conflicts among themselves without involving the elders. They only involve the elders and I when they are defeated in resolving some conflicts. Sometimes, women organize peace meetings and educate themselves about peace. They even invite me sometimes in order to listen and give them insights. As mothers, women are closer to the morans than their fathers. The morans trust their mothers with information and secrets. Therefore, the women village elders give me a lot of information about planned livestock theft crimes and that is how I am able to avert most of the crimes. Nowadays, women in Kipsing participate in peace meetings just like men do. Even if they are not fully confident in giving their opinions, they stand and talk. They address men in the meetings and men listen to them. Women are more active in taking their children to school compared to their husbands. In fact, when the husbands deny their children an opportunity to go to school, the women report to my office and I intervene. Cases on family conflicts have reduced. Domestic violence in form of wife battering has also reduced. I can now concentrate on other development matters. When women attend the peace meetings, they get information from leaders on the organizations that are offering support. That is why most of them have joined saving groups which have also provided financial support for the women and their families.

'I usually attend peace meetings. Before I started participating in peace meetings, things were very different. Youth were not going to school and they were very violent. They could even beat their mothers. We could not go to the market. Women were not attending peace meetings. They were left at home to take care of goats. Our husbands could not even tell us what they discussed during the peace meetings. We have started talking with our sons and there is positive change. Our sons can listen to us. We attend peace meetings just like men. We are also talking to our neighbors about peace... We are selling livestock in order to take our children to school. We have also started small scale businesses. We have peace. We can sleep peacefully.’

'Before women started participating in peace meetings, security situation was very bad. Morans used to steal cattle from other communities. Some of them were killed while others dropped out of school. Others did not respect their parents. We were very affected because the youth could not listen to their parents. As a result, many of them were involved in livestock theft and some of them died. Youth have started going to school and they are disciplined. They are no longer going to the forest to look after livestock. Sometimes they could stay in the forest for more than three months. Nowadays we live with them in our homesteads… Women are given a chance to talk during the peace meetings. Now we have peace.’

 ‘I am a learner at the Kipsing shepherd school and I have been trained on conflict management and peace building. This has encouraged me to participate in peace meetings in my community. Before I started attending the meetings, I used to have many conflicts in my family. I have youth in my family and talk to them about what I have learnt in the peace meetings. I have talked with my sons not to get involved in livestock raids and I am happy that they are now in school.  I talk to other morans on peace when they come home with my sons. I have peace in my home and I also talk with other women about peace when we meet in our groups.’

I am an instructor at Kipsing shepherd school. The school has 30 women and 11 morans. Before they started attending shepherd school, women could not attend any peace meeting and they had no forum to air their views on the insecurity issues they were facing. Therefore, they were greatly affected because when their sons went to steal livestock, the security officers could come and carry all the livestock at home. their sons could also be killed during the raids. There is big difference now, women are given a chance to speak during the peace meetings. Their children can listen to and obey their mothers. Women from Kipsing are taken to other areas in Isiolo County to preach peace… some of them have started businesses in order to support their families. I have become more confident when talking to others and as an instructor, I have gained more knowledge on conflict management and peace building.’