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ABSTRACT
The Karamoja Cluster is the epicentre of Africa’s decades-old problem of cattle rustling. Recent reports indicate a rise in livestock theft, despite the unilateral and multilateral interventions of the cluster’s respective governments. Paradoxically, with the deployment of elite and specialised police units – and in some cases even the military – the number of fatalities, frequency of incidences and amount of livestock stolen all continue to increase. Using Baringo, Kenya as a case study, this article investigates why cattle rustlers continue to thrive in the Karamoja Cluster. Police legitimacy theory, frustration–aggression theory and theory of eco-violence were employed and both primary and secondary data sources were used, including interviews with 32 purposively selected respondents. It was found that coercive government responses to cattle rustling have resulted in the perception of police illegitimacy and consequently in non-cooperation between the community and the police. It is recommended that the Karamoja Cluster’s governments re-evaluate their intervention strategies with a view to fostering a positive police–community relationship in the areas most afflicted by cattle rustling, and that they deploy local reservists who are more aligned with local sociocultural dynamics in order to increase community acceptance of and cooperation with the police.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 McCleland, ‘Cattle Theft’.
2 Bagnal, ‘Farmers “Gone Bandit”’.
3 Herbert and Birch, Cross-Border Pastoral Mobility.
4 Olaniyan and Yahaya, ‘Cows, Bandits, and Violent Conflicts.’
5 Intergovernmental Authority on Development, ‘IGAD Cluster 1 (Karamoja Cluster)’.
6 Olaniyan and Yahaya, ‘Cows, Bandits, and Violent Conflicts’.
7 Ibid.
8 United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report.
9 Commission on Human Security, Human Security Now.
10 Okpaleke and Abraham-Dukuma, ‘Dynamics of Resource Governance’.
11 Tyler, ‘Psychological Perspectives’.
12 Suchman, ‘Managing Legitimacy’.
13 Homolová, ‘Theories of Police Legitimacy’.
14 Ibid.
15 Piquero et al., ‘Developmental Trajectories’.
16 Tyler, ‘Psychological Perspectives’.
17 Noppe et al., ‘Police Legitimacy’.
18 Bradford et al., ‘Identity, Legitimacy and “Making Sense” of Police Use of Force’.
19 Lipset, Political Man.
20 Noppe et al., ‘Police Legitimacy’.
21 Worden and McLean, ‘Research on Police Legitimacy’.
22 Noppe et al., ‘Police Legitimacy’.
23 Terrill et al., ‘Three Pillars of Police Legitimacy’.
24 Bradford et al., ‘Identity, Legitimacy and “Making Sense” of Police Use of Force’.
25 Ibid.
26 Jackson et al., ‘Why Do People Comply with the Law?’.
27 Ibid.
28 Noppe et al., ‘Police Legitimacy’.
29 Greene et al., ‘Improving Police Legitimacy’.
30 Eck and Rosenbaum, ‘New Police Order’.
31 Homolová, ‘Theories of Police Legitimacy’.
32 Beetham, The Legitimation of Power.
33 Bradford et al., ‘Identity, Legitimacy and “Making Sense” of Police Use of Force’.
34 Turner and Reynolds, ‘Story of Social Identity’.
35 Scott, ‘Dominance and the Frustration–Aggression Hypothesis’.
36 Dollard et al., Frustration and Aggression.
37 Ibid.
38 Breuer and Elson, Frustration–Aggression Theory.
39 Oxford English Dictionary, ‘Frustration’.
40 Breuer and Elson, Frustration–Aggression Theory, 2.
41 Morlan, ‘Note on the Frustration–Aggression Theories’.
42 Pastore, ‘Role of Arbitrariness’.
43 Dill and Anderson, ‘Effects of Frustration Justification’.
44 Dollard et al., Frustration and Aggression.
45 Buss, ‘Instrumentality of Aggression’.
46 Feierabend and Feierabend, ‘Aggressive Behaviors’.
47 Gurr, Why Men Rebel.
48 Homer-Dixon and Blitt, Ecoviolence.
49 Selby and Hoffmann, ‘Beyond Scarcity’.
50 Okpaleke and Abraham-Dukuma, ‘Dynamics of Resource Governance’.
51 Homer-Dixon and Blitt, Ecoviolence, 6.
52 Ibid.
53 Ibid.
54 Wild et al., ‘Militarization of Cattle Raiding’.
55 Michael et al., Addressing Pastoralist Conflict.
56 ‘19 Kenyan Killed’.
57 Gumba and Turi, ‘Cross-Border Arms Trafficking’.
58 Daghar and Okumu, ‘Cattle Rustling’.
59 ‘Police in Jonglei’.
60 Gumba, ‘Cattle Rustling’.
61 Ibid.
62 Gumba and Alusala, ‘Africa’s Violent Trade’.
63 Gumba and Alusala, ‘Africa’s Violent Trade’.
64 Daghar and Okumu, ‘Cattle Rustling’.
65 Taylor, ‘In Uganda’s Karamoja’.
66 Ibid.
67 Ibid.
68 Jackson et al., ‘Why Do People Comply with the Law?’.
69 Taylor, ‘In Uganda’s Karamoja’.
70 Eck and Rosenbaum, ‘New Police Order’.
71 Taylor, ‘In Uganda’s Karamoja’.
72 Ibid.
73 Ibid.
74 Terrill et al., ‘Three Pillars of Police Legitimacy’.
75 ‘Police in Jonglei’.
76 Badmus, ‘South Sudan Police’.
77 Murkomen, ‘Impact of Policing Strategies’.
78 Kenya Human Rights Commission, Raiding Democracy.
79 Murkomen, ‘Impact of Policing Strategies’.
80 Osamba, ‘The Sociology of Insecurity’.
81 Kamenju et al., Terrorized Citizens.
82 Kenya Police Service, ‘Anti-Stock Theft Unit’.
83 Welimo, ‘Baringo, Laikipia Security Operations to Be Intensified’.
84 Mwachidudu and Likaka, ‘Community Policing Implementation’.
85 Ibid.
86 Nganga, ‘Culture as the Cause of Conflict’.
87 Bradford et al., ‘Identity, Legitimacy and “Making Sense” of Police Use of Force’.
88 Jackson et al., ‘Why Do People Comply with the Law?’.
89 Mazuri et al., ‘Factors Impeding Government Security Agencies Responses’.
90 Eck and Rosenbaum, ‘ New Police Order’.
91 Homolová, ‘Theories of Police Legitimacy’.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Saul Kipchirchir Marigat
Saul Marigat holds a PhD in International Studies and an MA in Conflict Resolution and Peace Building. He has researched and is published on matters including international conflict management on the African continent, with a special focus on the Horn of Africa. He has worked in the tea industry and the water sector, and is currently an independent researcher on various subjects of interest, including cattle rustling. He is also a registered environmental expert practising in Kenya.