GLOSSARY and ABBREVIATIONS
Taya Weiss
Arid Lands Officially, the Arid Lands Resource Management Project (ALRMP). A World Bank funded project administered through the Office of the President that began as an emergency response to drought and has evolved into a full-scale sustainable development plan.
Baraza Community gathering or meeting. Often called by the chief of a location to give or discuss official government news. Also used as a platform by local peace builders.
CBO Community-based organization. Similar to an NGO, a CBO is not authorized to receive or disburse large amounts of funding because of the lack of accounting capacity.
DDC District Development Committee. The district-level, government-led committee on development issues. Particularly influential in areas where the Arid Lands Project is inactive, since it serves a similar purpose to a DSG.
DSC District Security Committee. The district-level, government-led committee on security that excludes NGO and CBO participation unless in the form of one-way conflict briefings by non-government fieldworkers.
DSG District Steering Group. Organized through the Arid Lands Project, district-based committees consisting of NGO and CBO representatives dealing with development and other issues pertinent to Arid Lands activities.
LWF Lutheran World Federation. Manages the refugee camp at Kakuma on behalf of UNHCR.
NCCK The National Council of Churches, Kenya. A major facilitator of local peace work in the North Rift region.
NGO Non-governmental organization. An organization registered with the government but operating outside of government structures that receives and/or disburses funding for projects according to a specific yearly plan of objectives.
NorthernFrontier District (NFD) Delineation of northern Kenya by the colonial government, including Moyale, Marsabit, Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, Turkana, and Mandera. Continued use of this delineation led the Moi government to place the NFD under a ‘State of Emergency’ until 1992.
Oxfam GB-K Oxfam Great Britain, the Kenya Programme, funds local peace work in various areas across Kenya. It is also specifically concerned with small arms reduction community education.
SALW Small arms and light weapons. Defined in the United Nations Report of the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms, A/52/298, August 27, 1997, p 12. The report defines small arms and light weapons according to their actual use in conflicts being dealt with by the United Nations: specifically, those being manufactured to military specification for use as lethal instruments of war (i.e., clubs, knives, and machetes were not included). Based on these criteria, the weapons addressed in the report were categorised. Small arms comprise revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns. Light weapons comprise heavy machine guns, hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems, and mortars of calibres less than 100mm. Ammunition and explosives comprise cartridges for small arms, shells and missiles for light weapons, mobile containers with missiles or shells for single-action anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems, anti-personnel and anti-tank hand grenades, landmines, and explosives. Citing the “other forums” in which the international community was dealing with landmines, the panel chose not to include them so as to avoid duplication of efforts.
UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Responsible for overseeing the refugee camp at Kakuma in Turkana.
