We take a small plane north. We are now closer to Somalia and Ethiopia than Nairobi. This part of Kenya was known for security issues. Bandits used to line the roads, so it was unsafe terrain. This situation has been mostly resolved. There is a meeting with the Samburu, Rendille and Borana tribes. The Rendille, like the Samburu, are pastoralists who live in small nomadic communities. They heavily rely on camels for milk, blood, clothing, trade etc… The Borana are cattle herders indigenous to Ethiopia. They migrated to northern Kenya in the early years of the 20th century. So, the issue at hand—grazing boundaries, cattle raiding and land. Cattle raiding? Yes, cattle are often stolen. So, imagine, you wake up in the morning and your car is stolen. (Cattle are worth more to them than cars to us.) Needless to say, you are not pleased and especially because you know who did it, you take revenge. While Kenya press was covering the post election violence, in northern Kenya another war waged on, one that has been for a long time. Lives are lost often as a result of this conflict.I asked when was the last time these three tribes met? Nobody could remember. It was historic. Think about getting to the meeting. There are no cars, buses, trains…these guys walk for days to this dry river bed where the meeting took place under a large tree. I thought, with the issue at hand, this meeting could last days, at least a week. Later that day, I wandered through the “kitchen”—supplies under a palm tree, and sure enough, tied to a tree was about ten goats. Some were already being slaughtered. These guys planned to be here for days.
The meeting was in at least five different languages. The chief of each tribe spoke first. Kenya Wildlife Service. Police. District Commissioners. That night, the tribes ate meat together by a fire. A big step. We pitched our tent in the sandy river bed and enjoyed a glorious evening of warm breeze, stars, fire, food and beer.
The next morning we flew off for more meetings. Ten camels had already been returned to the Rendille, progress was being made.
