By Abdullahi Jamaa
In Wajir, just like elsewhere in Northern Kenya, pastoralism is been considered as an archaic economic activity and no longer a viable means of livelihood. There are several reasons why many people continue to predict the downfall of this age-long practice. The most visible and understandable reason is the endless cycle of droughts and climatic devastations that have been biting Wajir and its nomadic hinterlands like a malevolent snake.
Over the past three decades, seasons have been shifting irregularly, occasioning continuous dry spells that stood harsh and hard, season after season. Relentless dry spells and famines have routinely come hot in the heels of almost all the four seasons of each and every year.
The climate change menace is real in Wajir than elsewhere in Kenya, the consequences of climate variability for pastoralists are uncertain and the general picture is one of likely parchedness – of a decrease in the amount and predictability of rainfall, combined with an increase in evaporation caused by the warmer temperatures.
Finding forage is increasingly difficult, as herders have to travel further in search of pasture and water for themselves and their livestock. The socio-economic roles of pastoralists are decreasing on daily basis majorly because of lack of water and other natural resources that are prerequisite for livestock keeping.
The repercussion of harsh climatic conditions have rendered many nomadic families to remain listless and depressed. Hundreds of them have been forced to fallback to sedentary lifestyle settling in the periphery of Wajir town, where a crumbling third-worldliness is manifesting itself in almost all spheres of life.
A recent study estimated that, the area affected by drought will double by the end of this century from 25% to 50%, and that while the number of drought periods may not significantly increase, they are likely to last for longer, making herd reconstitution and replenishment of water sources less dependable.
The study says the mean annual number of people killed and affected by drought in Eastern Africa, for example, has increased over ten-fold in the past thirty years, from 584 per 100,000 people in 1974-78 to 6067 in 1999-2003.
Wajir’s case is far worse, noting that it has been the epicenter of Horn of Africa’s crippling drought conditions. It has seen more death and destruction than anywhere else in the beleaguered region that is notorious for poor governance, poverty and insecurity.
Wajir’s pastoralists today can no longer apply principles of flexibility and opportunism in managing their herds and environment. And since there is no help from local government to strengthen mobility, herd stratification, livestock production services, diversification of species and livelihoods – pastoralists are faced with harsh reality of life.
And as we blame climate change, Wajir’s government is holding wrong end of the stick when it comes to pastoralism and the role it pays in stimulating the local economy. The county government seemingly doesn’t understand the reality and the challenges facing the sector, engaging in minimal or uncoordinated initiatives.
Pastoralism and pastoralists have been neglected for far too long both by the national government and the county government. This means that many residents of Wajir will probably become destitute engulfed by life of abject poverty as authorities abandon a critical sector that controls more than 80% of both formal and informal sectors of the already moribund economy.
The lackluster performance to date of government and development agencies in supporting livelihoods and reducing poverty, points to a very real concern that the ability of pastoral groups to both cope with and adapt to climate change will continue to be compromised.
It is not a bolt from the blue that pastoralism is the lifeblood of Wajir’s local economy. All critical sectors of life such as education, health and environment depend on this historical economic activity. However, there has been little or no investment to safe the day for pastoralists and their livelihoods.
Within the confines and corridors of the local leadership, pastoralism is seemingly a grey word, meaningless and moribund, perhaps, if I may predict, the next couple of years will mean a troubling reality where the few remaining families will fall back to sedentary lifestyles completely eradicating the pristine practice of herding.
In couple of years to come, Wajir will be transformed into a hotbed of poverty. God forbids, if pastoralism collapses, the people of Wajir will have to struggle to survive, the overwhelming majority of the population will be forced to eke out a living in the most deplorable condition.
The people of Wajir and their government must admit that they are turning themselves into beggars of the 21st century when the rest of the world is fighting poverty and its forms. If urgent interventions to address this critical sector of the economy are not made, then both the government and its citiziens have to brace for total economic collapse.
The few trading activities that depend on livestock will be up against a brick wall, pockets will run dry and the government will be rendered cash-strapped safe for the few billions it annually gets from the national government.
We must appreciate that livestock play a significant role in rural livelihoods and the economies of developing countries. They are providers of income and employment for producers and others working in all our informal sectors and sometimes in complex value chains across the country.
More importantly livestock are a crucial asset and safety net for the poor, especially for women and pastoralist groups, and they provide an important source of nourishment for hundreds of rural and urban households.
According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) pastoral production supports the livelihoods of rural populations on almost half of the world’s land. However, the organization says they have traditionally suffered from poor understanding, marginalization and exclusion from dialogue.
In countries, where pastoral groups are stronger and where governments invest more in drought preparedness, drought can be much more effectively managed. While wajir is not the only drought-exposed county, it suffers most in terms of human and economic cost.
Finally, the other main reason apart from climate change is the very lack of policy and investments plans to safeguard develop and address the interest of pastoralists. Until the government of Wajir comes into its senses in realizing the role of herders and their herds, economic sustainability will forever remain a tall order.
