More than 150 young pastoralists from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and South Sudan recently pledged to lead rangelands and pastoralism toward a peaceful and prosperous future. During a November 2025 gathering, the youth adopted the “Kobebe Declaration,” advocating for the full implementation of the IGAD Transhumance Protocol, a regional framework ensuring the free and orderly movement of pastoralists across borders. This protocol and other cross-border agreements are crucial for sustaining the livelihoods of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities across the Karamoja Cluster, a 150,000 km² semi-arid region spanning Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda. Neema Seki of the Pastoralists Women Council highlighted the role of pastoralism in promoting a climate-resilient future for Africa, emphasizing the protection of communal land tenure and stronger safeguards against land grabbing, unsustainable agriculture, industrial plantations, and mining in rangelands.
The declaration was drafted at Kobebe Dam in Moroto, Uganda, symbolizing a history of shared resources and peaceful coexistence between Ugandan and Kenyan pastoralist communities. Organized by the African Youth Pastoralist Initiative (AYPI), the two-day event provided a platform for youth to discuss resource-sharing systems, land tenure rights, cross-border integration, rangeland restoration, and youth participation in policymaking. The outcomes of these discussions, captured in the Kobebe Declaration, will inform regional and global advocacy efforts during the International Year of Pastoralists and Rangelands (IYRP) 2026 and beyond. Jacob Lekaitogo, AYPI’s Kenya chapter president, stressed that pastoralist futures must be shaped by those closest to the land, with youth voices influencing decisions about rangeland management.
Support from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) reinforced the youth-led initiative, reflecting a commitment to prioritize young pastoralists in addressing challenges such as food security, land degradation, drought, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Fiona Flintan, a senior scientist at ILRI, noted that youth play a critical role in sustainable rangeland management, including rotational grazing, herd mobility, agribusiness, fodder production, value-added dairy, and eco-tourism, creating alternative income sources that reduce pressure on the land. The event underscored the readiness of East African pastoralist youth to engage in regional and global policy dialogues. Brians Agaba, coordinator of the Coalition of Pastoralist Civil Society Organizations (COPACSO) in Uganda, called for youth to have meaningful stakes in rangeland-based investments beyond surface rights or royalties.
Beyond policy discussions, the gathering celebrated pastoralist heritage through performances, storytelling, and ceremonies, showcasing the cultural richness of communities such as the Karamojong, Maasai, Samburu, Turkana, Toposa, and Nyangatom. Field visits to kraals, communal grazing areas, and rangeland restoration sites allowed participants to observe traditional livestock management and community-led innovations firsthand. These experiences fostered intergenerational dialogue, connecting the wisdom of elders with the creativity of young pastoralists seeking to reimagine sustainable rangeland systems in a changing world.
The event was supported by the IYRP Youth Working Group, Karamoja Youth Efforts to Save Environment (KAYESE), ILRI through the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes program, COPACSO, AYPI, the Resource Conflict Institute (RECONCILE), African Conservation Centre (ACC), and other regional partners. This collaboration ensured that the gathering was youth-centered, culturally grounded, and aligned with the aspirations and needs of pastoralist communities across East Africa.
