Transformation of Organized Violence from a Natural Resource Management Perspective

In this article, we examine the impact of informal arrangements between a non-state actor, the Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) —a Non-Government Organization (NGO), pastoral communities and the state actors, We focus on a comparative analysis of Samburu and Isiolo counties in Northern Kenya because these cases demonstrate a different effect of NRT on NRM. The article benefits from interviews collected from Samburu and Isiolo counties, and key informants in the two counties, NRT offices, government representatives and civil societies between 2018 to 2021, with a follow-up in October 2022 to March 2023, and January October 2023 to March 2024. The interviews are then triangulated with the vast conservation literature and government documents. We show how the partnership between NRT, pastoral communities, and national/local governments impacts NRM in Northern Kenya through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative. Our analysis affirms that PPP initiatives between NRT and the government are secretive and can only be witnessed from their effects. We further show that privatization and legitimization of the use of excessive force control and influence, —organized violence is applied in the conservation agenda, exacerbating conflict/violence.