By Hon. Prof. Kariuki Muigua, OGW, PhD, C.Arb, FCIArb is a Professor of Environmental Law and Dispute Resolution at the University of Nairobi, Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration, Leading Environmental Law Scholar, Respected Sustainable Development Policy Advisor, Top Natural Resources Lawyer, Highly-Regarded Dispute Resolution Expert and Awardee of the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) of Kenya by H.E. the President of Republic of Kenya. He is the Academic Champion of ADR 2024, the African ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, the African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, ADR Practitioner of the Year in Kenya 2021, CIArb (Kenya) Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 and ADR Publisher of the Year 2021 and Author of the Kenya’s First ESG Book: Embracing Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) tenets for Sustainable Development” (Glenwood, Nairobi, July 2023) and Kenya’s First Two Climate Change Law Book: Combating Climate Change for Sustainability (Glenwood, Nairobi, October 2023), Achieving Climate Justice for Development (Glenwood, Nairobi, October 2023) and Promoting Rule of Law for Sustainable Development (Glenwood, Nairobi, January 2024)*
Sustainable Development Goal 16 calls on State Parties to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies. The associated relevant Targets require States to, inter alia: promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all; by 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime; develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels; ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels; broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance; ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements; strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime; and promote and enforce nondiscriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.
SDG 16 is premised on the fact that ‘sustainable development cannot be achieved without peace, stability, human rights and effective governance, based on the rule of law’. It is worth pointing out that while some conflicts call for use of formal systems such as national courts to deal with them, especially where criminal activities are concerned, there is a need to explore and exploit non-violent and/or non-confrontational approaches, in the spirit of Article 159(2)(c) of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya which ‘encourages of communities to settle land disputes through recognized local community initiatives consistent with this Constitution’, and requires that ‘in exercising judicial authority, the courts and tribunals should be guided by, inter alia, the principles of alternative forms of dispute resolution including reconciliation, mediation, arbitration and traditional dispute resolution mechanisms shall be promoted, subject to clause (3)’.
Indeed, in recognition of the important role that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Traditional Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (TDRMs) can play in not only addressing internal conflicts but also doing so in ways that enhance sustainable peace rather than dividing people further as would be the case with adversarial court mechanisms, Kenya’s Judiciary has been making strides towards promoting and encouraging their use in the country, while working closely with other stakeholders in the sector. This is because, more often than not, the court process fails to address the underlying real issues that brought the conflict in the first place. This has been attributed to the fact that since the official law is based on a different understanding of justice, it is rarely effective in creating stability and societies are, therefore, more interested in solving conflicts through informal means – although they may ask the police to trace their cattle and the local administration to help in negotiating peace.
Arguably, local leaders prefer to deal with the conflicts of their communities as they are convinced that they have better solutions than the state can provide. In Geoffrey Muthinja Kabiru & 2 Others -vs- Samuel Munga Henry & 1756 Others (2015) eKLR, the Court of Appeal stated as follows regarding use of ADR and TDRMs:- “It is imperative that where a dispute resolution mechanism exists outside courts, the same be exhausted before the jurisdiction of the Courts is invoked. Courts ought to be fora of last resort and not the first port of call the moment a storm brews… The exhaustion doctrine is a sound one and serves the purpose of ensuring that there is a postponement of judicial consideration of matters to ensure that a party is first of all diligent in the protection of his own interest within the mechanisms in place for resolution outside the courts…This accords with Article 159 of the Constitution which commands Courts to encourage alternative means of dispute resolution.”…
Use of ADR and TDRM mechanisms in addressing ethnic tensions and other intergroup conflicts in Kenya has a potential to bring the country closer to attaining sustainable peace as a step towards achieving SDG 16. Indeed, the Draft Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy, 2019 has acknowledged that ‘ADR, through its reconciliatory and non-adversarial nature is a major contributor to peace and cohesion in the country. It also acknowledges that ‘the rule of law is essential for democracy and economic growth and is the backbone of human rights, peace, security, and development’. The importance of these mechanisms is also acknowledged in Kenya’s National Policy on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management, 2011 which calls for capacity building through, inter alia, training various stakeholders in relevant areas such as alternative conflict resolution mechanisms.
It has been argued that where there have been harsh and violent conflicts, there is usually firstly the temporary management of the conflict; which typically involves negotiation, meditation and arbitration, and rests on leaders and elites, although it still requires support by the general population, while secondly, deeper, level involves reconciliation which requires change in the societal repertoire shared by society members. This is because reconciliation involves the formation or restoration of genuine peaceful relationships between societies and that this requires extensive changes in the socio-psychological repertoire of group members in both societies. In addition, reconciliation is associated with socio-psychological processes consisting of changes of motivations, goals, beliefs, attitudes and emotions by the majority of society members. This is the kind of approach that is recommended for such conflicts as the one involving Pokot and Turkana communities, among others. It is, however, acknowledged this should be accompanied with poverty eradication projects by the State since poverty and limited sources of livelihood can aggravate competition for scarce natural resources thereby contributing to instability.
The State’s involvement in addressing natural resources scarcity through climate change mitigation measures as well as adopting a participatory approach to resource management can potentially help in alleviating poverty and consequently address the insecurities that these communities face as far as food security and access to resources are concerned. County peace committees should be empowered through capacity building because, as some commentators have argued, County governments have better local knowledge and are likely to enjoy greater local legitimacy thus placing them at a better position to address conflicts and promote peace, in partnership with the National Government. Based on the foregoing, it is thus important for the State to continually promote and strengthen the use of local leadership and community peace groups in efforts to reach sustainable peace solutions in Kenya.
This is an extract from Kenya’s First ESG Law Book: Embracing Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) tenets for Sustainable Development” (Glenwood, Nairobi, July 2023) by Hon. Prof. Kariuki Muigua, OGW, PhD, Professor of Environmental Law and Dispute Resolution, Senior Advocate of Kenya, Chartered Arbitrator, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 (Nairobi Legal Awards), ADR Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (CIArb Kenya), African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, Africa ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, Member of National Environment Tribunal (NET) Emeritus (2017 to 2023) and Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration nominated by Republic of Kenya and Academic Champion of ADR 2024. Prof. Kariuki Muigua is a foremost Environmental Law and Natural Resources Lawyer and Scholar, Sustainable Development Advocate and Conflict Management Expert in Kenya. Prof. Kariuki Muigua teaches Environmental Law and Dispute resolution at the University of Nairobi School of Law, The Center for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP) and Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies. He has published numerous books and articles on Environmental Law, Environmental Justice Conflict Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. Prof. Muigua is also a Chartered Arbitrator, an Accredited Mediator, the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates and Africa Trustee Emeritus of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2019-2022. Prof. Muigua is a 2023 recipient of President of the Republic of Kenya Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) Award for his service to the Nation as a Distinguished Expert, Academic and Scholar in Dispute Resolution and recognized among the top 5 leading lawyers and dispute resolution experts in Band 1 in Kenya by the Chambers Global Guide 2024 and was listed in the Inaugural THE LAWYER AFRICA Litigation Hall of Fame 2023 as one of the Top 50 Most Distinguished Litigation Lawyers in Kenya and the Top Arbitrator in Kenya in 2023.
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