Pastoral civil society across borders of Kenya, Uganda & Ethiopia

A study of civil society in border regions in Eastern Africa “Pastoralist civil societies: cooperative empowerment across boundaries in borderlands of Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia” (2018, 102pp) by Immo Eulenberger et al was published by the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute and the Robert Bosch Foundation.

Civil society is generally regarded as constituting formal organisations that are part of neither the state nor business. The study examined this notion in the context of Eastern Africa and analysed characteristics of informal civil society. It focused on the border areas between Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan, where over 90% of the population are mobile pastoralists.

While pastoralists organise decision-making processes among themselves and cooperate across borders, there is little understanding between them, on the one hand, and national majorities and international actors, on the other. The informal civil society comprises trustworthy connectors between these groups, social innovators and personalities from all walks of life. The study indicates that, while funding formal civil society can be useful, the insights and capacities of the region’s informal civil society – such as people’s mental strength and practical ingenuity – are resources that should be better known and promoted.

A 2-page summary of the report can be found here.

Posted on 29 July 2022 in Pastoral Research & Innovation, Pastoralism, Policy & Power