This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
July 13, 2020, marked a turning point for the village of Lorengippi in northwestern Kenya. For years, the village was plagued by violence, with men training to fight from a young age and inter-ethnic clashes resulting in the loss of lives.
According to Nathan Ekal, the village chief, a clash between Lorengippi's Turkana residents and neighboring Pokot in 2013 killed 23 people. Their bodies were buried in a mass grave on the outskirts of the village.
However, the 2013 killings sparked a change. The government mounted an operation to collect weapons, established a base, and built a checkpoint on the border with West Pokot. More importantly, the communities formed peace committees to resolve disagreements.
Today, the village is a far cry from its violent past. A school, a small clinic, and a new road connecting Lorengippi to the county capital of Lodwar have been built. Cross-border raids still occur, but the peace committees are resolving the issues, and livestock are being returned.
As Kokoi Namojong, 59, and chairman of one of the peace committees, said, 'Now there is lasting peace. We do business with the Pokot and inter-marry with the Pokot.'
