Armed conflict among pastoralist groups in northern Kenya and Uganda is a long-standing and persistent problem that gets relatively little attention both in the popular media and, according to Kennedy Mkutu, from academic researchers. He sets out in this book to bring needed focus to this issue through a detailed study of the proliferation of small arms, and how their widespread availability contributes to the continuation, escalation and intensification of such conflicts. He does this quite effectively for the most part, making the book a valuable addition to the literature on pastoralism, violence and conflict. It also has considerable relevance for policy makers and organisations that are working to reduce conflict.

Mkutu begins by outlining the scope of the problem of violence in Africa, and inter-ethnic violence in the Horn of Africa specifically. Moving to the case of pastoralists in particular, he notes that these smaller conflicts occur over resource competition among impoverished groups, and that the ready availability of small arms has increased the intensity and damage caused through cattle rustling as well as banditry on roads. Later he links these conflicts to commercial and political motivations as well, although precise details of these interconnections remain difficult to discern. Beyond the motives for violence and the organisation of those involved, the heart of the book provides an interesting analysis of how small arms infiltrate the region through a number of regional pathways. These descriptions illustrate both the spillover effects of large-scale conflicts in Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda, and also how local and regional social and economic dynamics operate within countries to spread weapons. Another chapter presents data from a variety of sources (primarily health centres and police records) documenting the impact of small arms in terms of fatalities and injuries, as well as the economic cost of cattle theft. While much of this data is admittedly incomplete, it begins to hint at the severity of the effects of on-going conflict. Mkutu also discusses some of the social impacts of violence, including population displacement and loss of accessible pastures due to insecurity. A final substantive chapter discusses government attempts to reduce violence, focusing particularly on attempts to disarm various pastoralist groups. Mkutu convincingly argues that disarmament has not worked, largely due to the lack of effective and comprehensive approaches to governance and security that would address underlying problems that lead to conflicts, and also provide genuine security for pastoralists. In the conclusion, he argues for just such approaches to curb both the demand and supply of small arms.

While the health and police data sources are less than ideal, and the probable biases of some informants could be discussed, the author is to be commended for taking on this challenging area of research. He notes that his research was hampered due to the very insecurity that he was studying. Nevertheless he was able to uncover many critical aspects of this vexing issue, and provide valuable data and argument for those committed to tackling the problem of pastoralist conflict.