A year and a half of drought in Kenya’s Laikipia region has driven desperate shepherds to defy grazing restrictions in territories occupied by European settlers. The looming election only intensifies the unrest. For the nomadic Samburu community, this conflict isn’t just about resources but about ancestral lands where their forebears once grazed cattle and goats. Ranch and reserve owners, feeling the pressure, defend their property with electric fences, armed militias, and regular patrols. But when violence is committed against animals, the volatile situation escalates. This is a story about identity, the tangled legacy of British colonialism, and who has the right to control natural resources in a region profoundly affected by climate change.   

Marta Lityńska