Enhancing capacities for local peacebuilding in Bunyoro sub-region, Western Uganda

A central goal of peacebuilding efforts in the 21st Century is to localize peace through involving local actors to achieve sustainable peace. Since the 1990s, in pursuit of sustainable peace, attention has been paid to the renaissance of traditional approaches to peacebuilding, and successes were documented in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana. In Uganda, peacebuilding programmes were registered in three regions of Acholi, Karamoja, and Teso. Since the discovery of oil in Bunyoro sub-region, conflicts have been reported especially land-related conflicts due to land grabbing. Efforts such as the setting up of the National Petroleum Fund (NPF) to regulate exploration, development and production of oil, the National Oil Company (NOC) to enhance the country’s commercial interests in the oil sector, increasing land titling, setting up district land tribunals, and other government efforts and policies on oil and gas which are intended to address the problem, are not yielding expected results. It seems that local actors at the grass roots level are left out. Therefore, using an action research approach, this study implemented activities aimed at local capacity enhancement in order to realize sustainable and peaceful communities. The overarching objective of this study was to enhance capacities for local peacebuilding in Bunyoro sub-region through equipping them with knowledge and skills necessary for preventing, resolving and managing conflicts in their communities. The design for this study had three components: exploratory, action research and evaluation components. Data was collected using focus group discussions and in-depth key informant interviews. Purposive sampling was used to obtain a sample of 23 participants in a case study of Hoima district, Bunyoro sub-region. An action team consisting of traditional chiefs, clan leaders, village leaders (Local Council 1 LC1), civil society organizations, and key informants was formed to prevent, resolve and manage conflicts in their communities. The short term outcomes of this study indicate that local peacebuilding capacities have been enhanced through strengthening of Bunyoro traditional approaches of peacebuilding with an action team that consisted of traditional leaders.