The Problem of (un)Belonging: Memory, Land Conflict, and Environmental Degradation in Mt. Elgon, Kenya

Abstract

In the face of the present harsh realities of global climate change, many state-mediated initiatives to protect the environment have supposedly aimed at safeguarding the livelihoods of communities living in critical ecosystems. Paradoxically, however, such ventures have often exacerbated environmental degradation by causing conflict with the communities that claim indigeneity on lands targeted for conservation. In many places in Africa, protracted land alienation since colonialism, a lack of clear land ownership structures, corrupt land deals, and claims of autochthony have bred bloody ethnic battles and contributed to further environmental destruction. This article explores the intersection between autochthony claims, ideas of (un)belonging, ethnopolitical violence, and environmental degradation from the vantage point of memory. I argue that the land-related conflicts in Mt. Elgon, Kenya, are not just a problem of flawed environmental conservation programs but also a failure to address people’s memories of “home.”