Delivering The Agenda: Addressing Chronic Underdevelopment in Kenya's Arid Lands
Delivering The Agenda: Addressing Chronic Underdevelopment in Kenya's Arid Lands
Delivering The Agenda: Addressing Chronic Underdevelopment in Kenya's Arid Lands
Delivering the
agenda
Addressing chronic
under-development in
Kenya’s arid lands
Due to economic and political marginalisation, the arid and
semi-arid lands (ASALs) are today the most under-developed
areas of Kenya. The pastoral inhabitants of these lands have
both the right and the ability to maintain a decent livelihood but
have been denied an appropriate and effective development
policy for decades. The current drought-related crisis has put
their plight into the international spotlight, and now is the time
for the Kenyan government to deliver on its long-promised
development agenda.
Summary
Three and a half million people are currently suffering one of the worst
drought-related crises in Kenya’s history. The trigger for this was low rainfall
but the underlying cause is a history of under-investment and neglect by
central government. Without government action to drive its plan for the
sustainable development of the arid lands through the political system, more
lives will be lost to worsening, recurrent drought and chronic under-
development.
The arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of Kenya make up more than 80 per
cent of the country’s land mass, and are home to more than 30 per cent of
the population and nearly half its livestock. Nomadic pastoralism, the
predominant livelihood in the ASALs, is the only form of productive land use
through periods of poor and erratic rains; indeed, it is difficult to conceive of
a livelihood more suited to this environment.
The livestock sector in the ASALs accounts for 90 per cent of employment
and 95 per cent of household income, and contributes roughly five per cent
of GDP. Pastoralists are also the custodians of the dryland environments
inhabited by Kenya’s world-famous wildlife, which contribute to a tourist
trade worth more than 50 billion Kenyan shillings ($700m) each year. If
supported by the effective implementation of the right policy framework,
pastoralists could make a substantially larger contribution to the national
economy.
Years of economic and political marginalisation, coupled with inappropriate
development policies, have resulted in the ASALs being the most under-
developed areas of Kenya. Sixty-four per cent of people in the arid north-
eastern province live below the poverty line, compared with a national
average of 53 per cent. Basic services are not adequately provided nor
adapted to the population’s needs, which means that the inhabitants have
poorer health and lower levels of education than people in the rest of the
country. There has been a severe lack of public and private investment in
infrastructure and economic development, combined with poor access to
markets. The net effect is increasing insecurity, in which the more vulnerable
in society — pastoralist women in particular — are the greatest losers.
Added to this chronic under-development is another problem characteristic
of the ASALs — cyclical drought. As women traditionally bear the
responsibility to feed their family and to collect and manage water, the
impact of the current crisis has hit women the hardest. The acute conditions
of the current drought-related crisis have caused massive livestock losses
for pastoralists, with cattle losses as high as 95 per cent anticipated in the
worst-affected areas before the April/May rains arrive. The forecast for total
livestock losses in the ASALs stands at 70 per cent. The immediate losses
have provoked a collapse of local markets, with as many as three-quarters
of local outlets already closed. The gravity of the current situation stems
The arid districts are hot and dry, with low and erratic rainfall. These
districts are predominantly pastoralist and agro-pastoralist, with
large areas of land suitable only for supporting livestock grazing
systems. The semi-arid lands have more diverse characteristics. They
are also a mixture of agro-pastoral and pastoral, but include some
extensive irrigated areas, wetlands, and protected areas such as
national parks. Overall, in the 36 designated districts pastoralism is
the predominant livelihood, involving 70 per cent of the population
in these districts. The fate of Kenya’s pastoralists, therefore, is
inextricably linked with that of the arid lands they inhabit.
Chronic under-development
Years of economic and political marginalisation, coupled with
inappropriate development policies, mean that the ASALs are today
the most under-developed areas of Kenya. Taken together, the
pastoralist areas have the highest incidences of poverty and the
lowest level of access to basic services of any in the country.11 Census
statistics indicate that some 64 per cent of people in the north-eastern
province live below the poverty line, compared with a national
average of 53 per cent.12 More recent studies indicate that pastoralist
wealth in the north-eastern province area has declined by more than
50 per cent over the past ten years.13
Despite having some strong social institutions, in general the
pastoralist areas are politically weak and disorganised, due to their
political marginalisation and a lack of leadership skills. Pastoralist
communities are denied a voice in decision-making because they
have little political representation. Traditional land rights have not
been respected by development policies in the past and greater
pressure has been put on grazing lands and water resources, as
populations have increased and grazing land has been taken for
cultivation, conservation areas, and state use.
The net effect is one of increasing insecurity, in which the more
vulnerable people in society — pastoralist women in particular — are
the greatest losers. Women’s traditional tasks have become more
difficult and time-consuming, due to the scarcity of resources caused
by environmental degradation in ASAL areas. On top of this,
increasing numbers of men are seeking employment away from
Peak drought conditions recur about every four to five years,15 but it
is now arguable that drought conditions are becoming the norm and
non-drought years the exception, especially in the ASALs. The rapid
recurrence of drought-related shocks leaves inadequate recovery time
before the next shock occurs. This means that increasing numbers of
households, the majority of them pastoralists, are losing their
capacity to participate economically. The progressive exhaustion of
resources leaves people with little capacity to sustain themselves in
either critical or normal times, and for many this leads to destitution.
As their vulnerability has deepened as a result of repeated crises,
pastoralists have become increasingly reliant on wild foods, firewood
and charcoal production, and petty labour as means of survival.
As women traditionally bear the responsibility to feed their family
and to collect and manage water, the impact of the current crisis has
arguably hit women the hardest. Oxfam reports from Wajir have
suggested that the loss of donkeys, which are key for the transport of
water, has made this task much more onerous and time-consuming
for women. There are also anecdotal reports that more women are
being forced to seek casual employment away from home in order
meet their responsibility for feeding their family. In some cases,
prostitution is the only form of employment available to them. With
the men travelling further afield to look for pasture, the risk of sexual
violence to the women and girls left behind increases, particularly in
times of hardship when inter-family tensions might be augmented.
Donor commitment
Although the Government of Kenya should have the resources to
fund a significant part of ASAL development itself, the majority of its
income is tied up with recurrent costs, including the servicing of debt,
which means that donor support will be necessary. Figures for 2003
put Kenya’s total debt at $5.3bn, which represents 15.8 per cent of the
value of its exports of goods and services.26 Approximately 4.8 per
cent of Kenya’s GDP is spent on servicing debt, in comparison with
2.2 per cent of GDP spent on health and 6.5 per cent on education.27 If
implementation of the policy is to succeed, the government has to be
able to rely on long-term assistance from donors, as well as its own
funds. In providing long-term funding, donors will also be playing a
critical role in keeping the issue on the political agenda beyond the
acute, and more visible moment of the current crisis. The funding
decisions of international donors are guided in part by the
commitment of their respective governments to the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). The Kenyan government recognises
that many of the challenges to realising the MDGs are at their most
acute in the arid and semi-arid areas. It follows therefore that
investment in the ASALs is the best way of ensuring country-wide
achievement of the MDGs. For example, the goal of universal
primary education will not be achieved in Kenya unless education
provision is adapted to the needs of nomadic pastoralist
communities, through initiatives such as mobile schools. In some
Oxfam International Secretariat: Suite 20, 266 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DL, UK
Tel: +44.(0)1865.339100. E-mail: information@oxfaminternational.org. Web site: www.oxfam.org