“In the following pages, the author trace the trajectory of the conflict, unravel its rootcauses and other contributory factors, discuss the various responses by the state,
and make proposals on what could be done to attain sustainable peace in the region. While land allocation in the third phase of the resettlement programme was the immediate trigger of the conflict, the analysis points to historical injustice related to colonial disinheritance of the Sabaot communal lands, and to competition over scarce land resources in the post-colonial era, induced in part by inequitable distribution and access patterns but also demographics, as
the root causes of intra- and intercommunity tensions and conflict escalation in Mount Elgon District. There were also some pre-existing conditions that interacted with these root causes to configure a landscape of conflict.”
