ABSTRACT
There is an emerging conflict trend in counties in the North Rift fueled by many issues among them natural resource pressure due to climate change and destruction of the Mau water tower through human activity and ethnic politics. Furthermore, oil discoveries are a natural cause of conflict as communities fight for ownership. There is a dire need to address these emerging conflict trends in a creative manner that allows grassroots community participation and ownership and, at the same time, utilizing media technology. This chapter argues that the media has the advantage of wide reach and technical capacity to change attitudes and perceptions for peace and security that are increasingly being perceived to begin from an individual’s own contribution. While community media through radio has been increasingly celebrated as a one-stop shop to conflict management and resolution at the grassroots level, there is need to go beyond community radio to include media literacy on social media use in order not only to individualize security discourses, more so collective perception, but also to expound the scope of responsible citizen participation. With its interactive nature and user-generated content, the chapter concludes, it can be the best extensive approach in conflict management and mitigation in the North Rift region in Kenya.
