Last week, for four days, great deliberations happened at Nairobi’s Institute of Monetary Studies, where unique and rare, timely continental conversations unfolded, conversations that placed African indigenous pastoralists at the centre of climate resilience, land stewardship, and sustainable development.
The participants came from across twelve African countries – Niger, Chad, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, among others.
They did not shy from showing off their rich cultural and traditional way of life. They came dressed in traditional attire, accessorised with traditional attire and ornaments, some of which were displayed on the auditorium’s stage.
Traditional prayers from the Rendille Indigenous Community: Ilmesian Ilgiteto Ilbesile and Legut Esimgele, and Maasai Indigenous Community: Nkaru ole Toris, Tumpes ole Repes, and Saiko ole Laison, blessed the Gathering’s deliberation. This is the African Indigenous Rangelands and Pastoralists Gathering, which opened its doors Today.
The conference has brought together pastoralist leaders, women, youth, policymakers, and development partners from across the continent. Their shared purpose is to build a common African pastoralist agenda ahead of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026, declared by the United Nations.
From the opening sessions, one message has been clear: “Pastoralists are no longer willing to be spoken about, but they are firm that they must speak for themselves,” Mali ole Kaunga, CEO, founder, Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (IMPACT), Kenya.
The gathering is co-organised by the Indigenous Women and Peoples Association of Chad (AFPAT) and IMPACT. It is convened by Mali ole Kaunga and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, representing the two organisations.
Reclaiming the narrative.
In her opening remarks, Hindou told the attentive participants that for decades, pastoralism has been framed through the lens of crisis – drought, conflict, vulnerability, and marginalisation.
“However, the discussions that will take place during the four days of the Nairobi Gathering are demonstrating that pastoralist communities are also custodians of vast rangelands, holders of Indigenous knowledge systems, and contributors to food security, biodiversity conservation, and peace across some of Africa’s most fragile ecosystems,” she said.
Participants, she added, have underscored that rangelands are not empty or unproductive spaces, but living landscapes that sustain millions of people and a significant share of Africa’s livestock.
On the other hand, ole Kaunga noted that in an era of intensifying climate shocks, pastoralist mobility, adaptive grazing practices, and traditional governance systems are increasingly being recognised as part of the solution, not the problem.
A gathering shaped by urgency.
“The timing of this gathering could not be more critical, as across Africa, pastoralist livelihoods are under growing pressure from prolonged droughts, land fragmentation, extractive industries, infrastructure expansion, and insecure land tenure. These pressures are straining traditional coping mechanisms and, in some regions, fuelling conflict,” said the IMPACT founder.
At the same time, he explained, pastoralist women and youth, often the most affected, are emerging as key actors in innovation, peace-building, and climate adaptation. Their voices have featured prominently in the early deliberations, signalling a deliberate effort to build an inclusive agenda that reflects lived realities on the ground.
Preparing for IYRP 2026.
In his special remarks, Dr Albert Barume, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, said the declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists presents a global opportunity to elevate pastoralism within climate, development, and policy frameworks. However, participants in Nairobi have stressed that recognition alone is not enough.
What matters, he argued, is who shapes the agenda.
“The gathering is therefore focused on documenting pastoralist knowledge, harmonising key messages, and developing shared policy positions that can be carried forward to national, regional, and international platforms, including the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) processes,” noted the Rapporteur.
Kenya’s place in the conversation.
According to Ole Kaunga, Kenya’s role as host carries both symbolism and substance. He said that with arid and semi-arid lands covering a large part of the country, pastoralism remains central to livelihoods, food systems, and climate resilience. “The conversations unfolding in Nairobi have direct implications for Kenya’s policy choices, particularly around land governance, drought preparedness, and community-led adaptation,” he said.
Part of the engagements of the four-day deliberations include field visits planned with Indigenous pastoralist communities that are expected to ground the discussions further, linking policy conversations to lived experience.
Other guests who addressed the Gathering during the first day sessions included Cabinet Secretary Defense, Hon Soipan Tuya, Abdelatif Awad Fizani, Chad SG, Ministry, Principal Secretary State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, Hon Kello Harsama, among others.
Activities of the day included presentations, tone setting, Q&A sessions, and Panel discussions. The second day of the conference has been set aside for a real-time experience through a visit to Narok County.
More than a meeting.
As the gathering continues, it is becoming clear that this is more than a preparatory meeting for a UN-designated year. It is an assertion of voice, visibility, and agency, a statement that African pastoralists intend to shape the narratives and decisions that affect their lands and futures.
With IYRP 2026 and COP17 on the horizon, the conversations beginning in Nairobi may well define how pastoralism is understood, not as a relic of the past, but as a pathway to resilience in a changing climate.
