Traditional Mechanisms of Resolving Conflicts over Land Resource: A Case of Gorowa Community in Northern Tanzania

Traditional mechanisms for conflicts resolutions in Tanzania have been playing a major role to bring harmony and peace among members of the society. These mechanisms are created within a social-political structure of every community. They have been shaped by the realities that are happening in every community, making them unique to each community. Among Gorowa of Babati in Northern Tanzania conflict and conflict resolution mechanisms have never been static. They have been changing gradually over time as influenced by the nature and dynamics of the socio-political and economic activities. However, despite the fact that, traditional mechanisms contributes much to peace and security in promoting development, no through study have been done to underscore the nature of conflicts and their mechanisms for resolution among Gorowa community. Therefore, this paper tried to fill this gap by analyzing the nature of land conflict and the mechanisms for their resolutions. The study applied qualitative approach in exploring the causes, nature of land conflict and the mechanisms of resolving them. Qualitative approach was mostly used to gather views and opinions of respondents about the nature of land conflict and their mechanism of resolving. Also, quantitative approach was used to supplement the information whereby numerical and statistical data were gathered. The instruments used to collect data were interview, focus group discussions and observation. The study population included experts for conflicts resolution and other members of the community with sample size of 140 respondents. The analysis of the data was done through Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSSx) computer programmes. The main findings of the study showed that, over 75% of the respondent agreed that, land shortage for pasture and cultivation, water scarcity, livestock and family relationships were the main causes of conflicts in Gorowa community. About 60% of respondents had the views that, traditional mechanisms hold significant role in resolving dispute while 55% percent of the respondent preferred modern mechanisms for conflicts resolution. The study concluded that, land conflicts among Gorowa community can be minimized by providing education and adoption of modern technologies in livestock keeping and crop cultivation. The study recommended that, because the nature and causes of conflicts are not fixed, the traditional mechanisms have to be incorporated to modern ways for the more effectiveness in communal conflict resolutions.