Culture, participation and the right to development: the pastoralist dilemma - the Karamoja case study

Abstract

In the Ugandan context, the Karamojong are the most well-known pastoralists and the ones most likely to be presented by government and development actors as a “problem in need of a solution”. The author identifies a gap existing between empirical research indicating the need for creative solutions to the “pastoralist dilemma” and the legal and policy frameworks governing the lives of Karamojong in Uganda. The emphasis of the study is on the rights of the Karamojong to collective ownership of property (land) as well as the right to culture in a development context. Although these rights are provided for in international and regional human rights law, such instruments are of general application and make no specific reference to protection of pastoralists. Without specific legislation, the rights of Ugandan pastoralists are insufficiently implemented at national level. The author argues that the provision of proper legal protection to pastoralist communities is a crucial step in ensuring their survival as people.