Tugenin Festival: Cultural event to help broker peace in banditry prone Kerio

Warring communities in the banditry prone North Rift are set to converge during the annual Tugenin Cultural Festival which is aimed at fostering peaceful co-existence in the region.

The cultural fete which will be held on December 26, 2024, at Oinobmoi Cultural Centre in Baringo Central Constituency is also aimed at celebrating the region’s rich culture and traditions, and promote eco-tourism for socio-economic growth.

The festival entails presentation of ancient cultural music and folklores, exhibition of traditional food, medicine and ancient sports.

The Kerio Valley region has over the years experienced perennial conflicts, a situation which its causes are identified with the retrogressive cultural practices and scramble for diminishing natural resources, aggravated by the adverse impacts of climate change.

The inter-community strife has resulted in displacement of communities, disruption on provision of social services, and loss of lives.

According to Kiberur Tomno, who is the founder and brainchild behind the initiative, the Tugenin Cultural Festival roots for homegrown solutions to the ills affecting the communities along the Kerio Valley.

Mr Tomno said that can be achieved through exploitation of peaceful resolution of conflict mechanism, identification and promotion of alternative gainful socio-economic activities, and promotion of progressive cultural practices.

"Through the cultural fete, economic interactions have been enhanced and dialogue on peaceful co-existence has been established," Mr Tomno told AVDelta News in an interview.

He said to promote individual and community efforts in the promotion of peaceful coexistence, the event committee introduced an annual peace award--Tugenin Peace Award, which is awarded annually to an individual, community and or an institution whose activities promote peaceful coexistence within the communities living along the Kerio Valley and its environs.

This year, 12th Edition of Tugenin Cultural Festival with the theme “Peaceful Coexistence for Economic Growth and Development”, will bring together 400 cultural participants representing 16 invited cultural groups from eight(8) communities across five(5) counties in the North Rift.

Mr Tomno has called on other partners and Kenyans of goodwill to support the initiative in the fulfilment of the outlined activities towards the achievement of this year’s theme of “Peaceful Coexistence for Economic Growth and  Development”.

The event which will coincide with Utamaduni Day, will bring together among others the Tugen, Marakwet, Keiyo, Pokot, Ilchamus, Samburu and Turkana communities in a colourfully well-crafted presentation of their cultural music, traditional food, artefacts, sports, and folktales.

“It is time our people make deliberate efforts to discard retrogressive cultural practices which has over the years derailed development,” said Mr Tomno.

“Culture is both an enabler and a driver of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. We want to empower our people to leverage their diversity as their comparative advantage,” he added.

He noted that through culture and music, Kerio Valley has been identified as one of the tourist destination sites.

"The economic interactions have been enhanced and dialogue on matters of peaceful co-existence has been established. In the years ahead culture will play a big role in human and social development,” said Mr Tomno.

“We want to use culture in engaging communities through such events with the objective of diversifying the economic activities focusing on common cultural events, sports and eco-tourism."

Elders from the warring communities have welcomed the initiative which they noted will go a long way in preaching peaceful co-existence in the region.

“Never again will we witness bloodshed in this region. We should live as brothers if addressing many challenges affecting us in anything to go by,” said Mzee James Kisang, an elder from Marakwet.

The choice of the venue of the event near Kerio River is also significant as it was historically used as a meeting point for barter trade between the Tugen and Keiyo communities.

"The main objective of the initiative is to redeem the fading traditions and harness culture to promote eco-tourism and peaceful co-existence between the Kerio Valley communities and her neighbours,” said Kimosop Bolony, a resident.