Drought stokes rivalry between Kenyan cattle herders

Turkana tribesmen walk with guns in order to protect their cattle from rival Pokot and Samburu tribesmen near Baragoy, Kenya. Armed cattle herders have been flooding onto farms and wildlife conservancies in drought-ravaged northern Kenya, leading to...more

Turkana armed tribesmen stand around a borehole in order to protect their cattle near Baragoy, Kenya. Cattle rustling and competition for grazing have long troubled the area, which is a popular safari destination for visitors, but severe drought and...more

A Pokot tribesman holds a spear inside Mugui conservancy, Kenya. The residents have accused some local politicians of encouraging herders to bring tens of thousands of cattle onto farms and ranches to drum up support for the August...more

Cows belonging to Samburu tribesmen walk around the carcass of an elephant killed by armed cattle herders in Mugui Conservancy, Kenya. "The drought has been a problem for years but people have been living peacefully. This (flare-up) is because of...more

A Turkana woman reacts as men return home with their cattle near Baragoy, Kenya. Elections in Kenya have often been marred by violence, fuelled by tribal rivalries and disputes over land. After the disputed 2007 vote, more than 1,200 were killed...more

Armed Turkana tribesmen wait for cattle to get water from a borehole near Baragoy, Kenya. In Laikipia, north of Nairobi, herders from the Samburu and Pokot tribes tend to back the opposition, while smallholder farmers from the Turkana and Kikuyu...more

A Samburu tribesman stands behind cows as he enters the Mugui conservancy, Kenya. County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha said the situation was under control and blamed drought in the region for the tensions. "It is a conflict over pasture," he said....more

Fence destroyed by by armed cattle herders is seen in Mugui conservancy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Turkana girl holds a canister as she waits to get a water from a borehole near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Mugie Conservancy wildlife manager Jamie Manuel walks in front of a bush fire, which was set up according to witnesses by cattle herders in Mugui Conservancy, Kenya. Wildlife conservancies say wild animals have been killed, including six elephants,...more

Elephants drink the remaining water in a drying waterhole as Samburu cattle herder tribesmen destroy the fence and enter with cattle in Mugie Conservancy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Turkana girl holds a goat near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Pokot tribesmen stand around a lake in Mugui conservancy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Turkana tribesman carries his gun in order to protect his cattle from rival Pokot and Samburu tribesmen near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Turkana women wait for men to return home with their cattle near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Samburu tribesmen and cattle herders stand before they walk with cows through a fence destroyed by other Samburu tribesmen outside Mugui conservancy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Elephants walk in front of cows belonging to Samburu cattle herder tribesmen, who destroyed the fence and entered Mugie Conservancy and chased elephants away from drinking water, in Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Turkana woman waits to get water from a borehole near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Turkana tribesman carries his gun in order to protect his cattle from rival Pokot and Samburu tribesmen near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

A Turkana tribesman carries his gun in order to protect his cattle from rival Pokot and Samburu tribesmen near Baragoy, Kenya. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic