22. Women, Conflict, and Peacebuilding: Loketio/Logedio as a Conflict Deterrence and Peacebuilding Mechanism Among East African Pastoralists

How do societies in pastoralist conflict-prone zones deter conflicts and build peace? This chapter examines women’s use of Loketio/Logedio (Pregnancy Support Belt) in conflict deterrence and peacebuilding. Using original qualitative data from five focus groups across six villages in Uganda and Kenya, empirical data informs the dominant conventional theory of deterrence, which concerns itself with the pressure to deter conflicts through various means. Confronting the delusional narratives on the non-existence of deterrence concepts, vulnerabilities and incompetence of sub-Saharan women in peacebuilding, the data reveal that by Loketio, women can manage the day-to-day family, society, and neighbourhood interaction through symbolic and pragmatic conflict deterrence and peacebuilding practices. Building inductively, this study provides a novel understanding of the subtle concept of conflict deterrence (through social control and policing) and peacebuilding (through social organization). This study concludes that Loketio’s conflict deterrence and peacebuilding are sustained through its unique normative education system.