Conflict Mitigation Strategies of Local Peace Committees in Fafi Constituency, Garissa County, Kenya

Local Peace Committees (LPCs) provide locally accessible forums for managing inter-community disputes, but the frequency with which respondents identify particular practices should be distinguished from evidence of successful conflict transformation. This study examined LPC conflict-mitigation strategies reported in Fafi Constituency, Garissa County, Kenya, with attention to dialogue, resource-sharing negotiations, customary settlement and early warning. It presents a descriptive analysis of aggregate questionnaire tables from a mixed-methods thesis covering Bura, Dekaharia, Fafi, Jarajila and Nanighi wards. Frequencies and percentages were assessed for arithmetic consistency, while the thesis's qualitative discussion informed contextual interpretation. The apparent response base was 335 for the roles, settlement methods and enabling-factor tables and 316 for the early-warning table; these denominators were inferred from reported count-percentage pairs rather than confirmed from respondent records. Conflict Transformation Theory provided the primary analytical framework, complemented by Social Capital Theory. Community dialogue (61.8%) and negotiations over water and pasture (60.0%) were the most frequently identified committee roles. Dialogue meetings (60.0%) and traditional mechanisms (53.4%) were the leading reported settlement methods. Regular monitoring meetings (52.2%) were the most frequently identified early-warning activity. Leadership support, trust and experience were commonly perceived as enabling conditions. The findings describe respondents' recognition of preventive, negotiated and settlement practices, but do not establish which strategies reduce conflict or improve lasting outcomes. Priorities for further evaluation include participation, compliance with resource-access agreements, warning-to-response processes and recurrence of disputes.