This archive report was first published on 28 October 2019.
Climate Change Forces Maasai Pastoralists to Abandon Traditional Livestock Trade ¶
For close to two decades, Lazzaro Ole Saibulu was a prominent figure in the livestock trade across the Kenyan and Tanzanian border. However, due to persistent droughts and the shrinking of his flock, he was forced to change his occupation and relocate to the heart of Nakuru Central Business District, where he now stocks and 'prescribes' herbal medicine at a fee.
According to Ole Saibulu, 'There was no other way to get over my predicament. I had to make a difficult decision. I just gave up. The countless animals that were dying from drought dipped my financial well-being.'
Almost fifty kilometers away at Mau-Narok within Njoro Sub-County, Sadera Ole Teum, who had previously despised farming for livestock keeping, now grows cabbages. He attributes the shift to the unsustainable nature of pastoralism due to frequent droughts and shrinking land sizes.
'We can no longer rely on cattle for a living. Today it is not uncommon to find young Maasai Morans in unfamiliar territory: hawking sandals, leather belts, beaded bracelets and necklaces and herbal medicine,' Ole Teum says.
According to a study conducted under the Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) project, between 1997 and 2015, Kajiado County's cattle population reduced by 41.7 per cent, primarily due to land privatization and changing climatic conditions.
As temperatures in Kajiado have increased by 1.48 degrees in the past 50 years, affecting the survival of cattle, the county's main source of livelihood, projections indicate that the county's temperatures are going to increase by 1.0 degree by 2030.
Former pastoralists are now embracing alternative livelihoods, including farming and entrepreneurship. As Mary Seleina, a university student, notes, 'With the introduction of formal education, most members of the community now have to sell their cattle to pay for their children's school fees, buy them school uniform and cater for other basic needs at home.'
Traditional attitudes that regarded the Maasai man as the sole breadwinner have changed, and entrepreneurs have emerged from the community, engaged in business ventures countrywide. As Grace Spanto, a Maasai woman, explains, 'Most Maasai women are now selling kiondos, sandals, beaded necklaces and bracelets in major towns and near national parks and reserves.'
Antony Ole Twala, a pharmacist, attributes the shift to the subdivision of communal land, which has led to the loss of grazing areas. He estimates that more than 60 percent of Narok County is now private land that is not open for grazing.
