Improving pastoralists' livelihood strategies through good governance: The case of Turkana County, North-West Kenya

[摘要] Poor governance is a primary contributor to most of the problems which arebedevilling Africa today. In the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya, poorgovernance systems have undermined community-based institutions andresulted in poverty, the weakening of social structures and a lack of social capitaldevelopment. Turkana County in particular, continues to experience thesechallenges that have impeded significant development.This study draws on the experiences of pastoralists living in the Turkana Countyof North-West Kenya, an area with a long history of food and social insecurity.Although the expectation of good governance leading to improved livelihoods inTurkana is one that could be readily anticipated, it has actually not been wellforeseen. The aim of this study is to contribute to filling this gap. The overarchingpurpose of the study is therefore to provide an in-depth description of theimprovement of Turkana pastoralists' livelihood strategies from the perspective ofgood governance and, in doing so, to explore and explain other livelihood optionsthat can be relied upon to alleviate poverty.The study was conducted between June and November 2011 in sixconstituencies of Turkana County (Loima, Turkana Central, Turkana North,Turkana West, Turkana East and Turkana South). The study utilized aquestionnaire involving 384 respondents who provided information on livelihoodstrategies, governance and existing institutions. A focused group discussion(FGD) guide, targeting six pastoralist groups, was aimed at collecting informationon variables such as: income levels, livelihood strategies, employment, educationlevels, household sizes, and so forth. An observation guide was used as aninventory of households and the livelihoods of these communities. Twenty fourchecklists were used to record in-depth interviews and to collect information ongovernance, livelihoods, rules and regulations of humanitarian organisationsoperating in the County, as well as the roles of various agencies and governmentrepresentatives in the County.Since the majority of respondents indicated that they spent much time on animalproduction, the study determined that Turkana pastoralists greatly depend onlivestock and the products of livestock. There was also a direct proportionalitybetween the time spent on livestock production and the number of people willingto engage in animal production. With regard to alternative livelihoods, themajority of respondents prefer keeping livestock rather than shifting to any othermeans of livelihood. The findings further indicated that goats, followed by sheep,were found to be the most reared.A high percentage of livestock earnings was utilized for purchasing food forhousehold consumption. It was also evident that fathers of households made thesignificant decisions regarding the utilisation of livestock. In Turkana County,livestock rearing responsibilities were shared amongst the members of thehousehold. World Vision, Oxfam, Merlin and VSF-B emerged as agencies thatmade significant contributions to the livelihood strategies of the Turkana people.From the results generated, food aid (relief food) was found to be the maininitiative, followed by animal drugs and conflict resolution. The majority ofrespondents agreed that policies on boreholes existed.Respondents cited the principles of the rule of law and political participation asthe most practised by the government, while accountability and transparencywere least mentioned. When asked about the challenges facing pastoralists,respondents, development partners and government officials were aware of thechallenges that faced livestock keepers. Lack of water and pasture for livestockemerged as the most significant constraints to the keeping of livestock. Thedistance that the people have to walk in search of water, which increases whendrought occurs, was also cited as a worrying challenge. Diseases and insecuritywere other significant challenges mentioned. Finally, the study concluded that pastoralists have continued to face challengesand limited livelihood options as a result of poor governance and a lack ofattention from both the county and national governments. It is hoped that thisstudy will contribute to the understanding and practice of the principles of goodgovernance, and that this will ultimately lead to diversified livelihood strategiesand poverty reduction among Turkana pastoralists.

[发布机构] University of the Free State