Mudavadi signs deal allowing free movement of livestock herders in IGAD states

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has signed the IGAD Protocol on transhumance following a successful meeting with the IGAD Secretariat Delegation led by Dr. Fatma Adan, IGAD Head of Mission in Kenya.

The Protocol provides a critical framework for free, safe, and orderly cross-border mobility of transhuman livestock and herders in search of water and pasture within the IGAD Member States.

It also regulates transhumance activities, including the movement of herders and their livestock across borders; sustainable management of natural resources, including land, water, and pasture to support transhumance activities; conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution.

This will help in promoting peaceful coexistence and reduce the risks associated with violence and lead to the protection of the rights and interests of pastoralist communities, including their access to land, water, and grazing resources; and further cooperation and coordination among neighboring countries in addressing common challenges across borders.

The Protocol was adopted during the 72nd Extra-Ordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held on June 24, 2021 and Kenya becomes the 5th Member State of IGAD to sign it after Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Djibouti.

The signing ceremony was presided over by the Registrar of Treaties, Amb. Joseph Vungo, and was attended by Jonathan Mueke, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Livestock Development; Col (Rtd) Ali Raso Dido, the Parliamentary Pastoralist Group representative, and Sarah Korere, MP Laikipia North.

Following the signing of the Protocol by the Prime CS Mudavadi, it will be submitted to the Cabinet and thereafter to the National Assembly for approval of ratification by Kenya.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa which aims to accelerate economic and social development and integration of the members of the region through integration efforts anchored on peace, prosperity and regional integration.