The Role of Spirituality in Peacebuilding in Laikipia, Kenya

Abstract: In the borderlands of Laikipia, Kenya, a complex convergence of climate change, historical land injustice, and domestic politics exploded into a violent conflict centered around Ol Ari Nyiro, a former colonial ranch turned wildlife conservancy. Beginning in 2021, an experimental peacebuilding approach involving dialogue and resource sharing, executed through a council of community elders known as the “Mshipi,” successfully de-escalated this confounding crisis— turning combatants into collaborators, empowering marginalized communities, and attempting to integrate biodiversity conservation with cooperative land management. Through a combination of storytelling, video interludes, and reflection from a former staff member of the conservancy, this presentation will explore what can be learned about the decolonial process through this case study in regards to strategy, spirituality, and most importantly, the human heart.

Presenter bio: James Mixon (Farr) is the son of Evangelical missionaries who moved to Kenya in 1994, where he was born two years later. A career in outdoor education ultimately took him to Laikipia Nature Conservancy in 2021. He identifies as a settler in the complex racial and political landscape of Kenya.