Role of Social Risk Management Strategies in Reducing Vulnerabilities of Pastoral Nomadic Households after Subdivision of Group Ranches in Kajiado County, Kenya
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Date
2022-06
Authors
Ngatti, Anastasia Mghoi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The study aimed to gain an understanding of the Social Risk Management Strategies (SRMS)
applied by pastoral households in sub-divided group ranches so as to support their resilience to
extreme events and to support the development of these communities. The study was undertaken
in Nkukuon, Sholinke and Olooloitikosh villages of Oloosirkon Division – which are areas where
pastoral-nomadic households from the former Ololoitikosh Group ranch can be found. The main
study objectives were to: (i) identify and analyse the SRMS that were established or adjusted to
support pastoral-nomadic households in Oloosirkon Division; (ii) establish the effect of SRMS on
pastoral recovery strategies and subsequent maintenance of pastoral-nomadism as a livelihood
stream; and (iii) suggest measures that can be undertaken at community and policy level to
facilitate sustainable SRMS in favor of pastoral-nomadism. The social exchange theory was
considered to explain (i) whether pastoralists would set up new relationship based on new social
systems to reduce vulnerabilities, especially after the loss of socially protected common grazing
grounds under the group ranch system; (ii) whether the households would retain and build these
relationships after seeing their value to reducing vulnerabilities on their livelihoods. The study
used a descriptive case study research design and used household surveys, key informant
interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations as data collection methodologies in
pastoral nomadic households in a segment of the former Ololoitikosh Group Ranch. The Kenyatta
University Graduate School, the Kenyatta University Ethical Review Committee (KUERC), and
the National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI), all gave their
approvals and permits prior to the field investigations. The study used descriptive and inferential
statistics to analyze the data, and the chi square test of independence was used to determine
whether the null hypothesis should be accepted or rejected. The study found that the top four socioeconomic
challenges faced by pastoral-nomadic households are inadequate food, inadequate
grazing resources, inadequate water supply and health challenges. It also found that the main
mechanisms applied to manage these challenges that were driven by the community’s social
network / social capital were establishment of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Community Based
Organisations (CBOs) and Co-operative Societies. The findings show that the role of traditional
social risk management strategies applied by pastoralists such as communal protection of dry
season grazing grounds and reciprocity have evolved from maintenance of stock as the main
objective, to one that (i) applies a multiple approach of ensuring the ability to meet the ongoing
household’s basic socio-economic needs that rely on a cash based economy; while (ii) ensuring
the ability to purchase new stock and / or the ability to maintain existing stock thus ensuring the
survival of livestock keeping as a livelihood stream. The results of the study Chi square test
findings also led to the acceptance of the study’s null hypotheses namely (i) increased vulnerability
to extreme events causes pastoral-nomadic households to participate in SRMS; and (ii) households
that survive extreme events after participating in co-operative social risk management strategies
are more likely to maintain their membership in such groups. However, the study also found that
these SRMS are not without challenges and recommendations were made on: (i) development of
financial literacy and business development skills training programs; (ii) improvement of group
access to financial services; (iii) formalization of SHGs, CBOs and Co-operatives (iv)land-use
planning; and (v) responsive training for land-use planning professionals.
Description
Keywords
Social Risk Management Strategies, Reducing Vulnerabilities of Pastoral Nomadic Households, Kajiado County, Kenya