The Impact of Cattle Rustling on Economic Development: an Analysis of Baringo County

Abstract

This study is aimed at understanding cattle rustling and the impact it has had on the human condition of the people of Baringo and economic development as whole. It takes the asset-based approach and defines human security as an asset among other intangible assets and looks at how the loss of these assets, in addition to the physical assets lost during the cattle rustling, impact the county and specifically the living conditions associated with economic development through the human development index. The study uses existing secondary data from various online sources for the years 2010 to 2020. The data was analysed descriptively. The study analyses the data using a multiple regression model and shows that there is a strong relationship (R2= 0.9997) between insecurity, cattle ownership, education, and health on human development index in Baringo. The results also showed that livestock has a negative insignificant impact on economic development (β1 = -0.00007, P=0.193566 (P>0.05)); Insecurity represented by cattle rustling has a positive but insignificant impact on HDI (β2 = 0.000016, P= 0.349 (P>0.05)); Life expectancy has a positive and significant impact on HDI in Baringo (β3 = 0.0071, P= 0.0017 (P<0.05)); Health facilities has a positive and insignificant impact on HDI (β4 = 0.000026, P= 0.165 (P>0.05)); Mean years of schooling has a positive insignificant impact on HDI (β5 = 0.0094, P= 0. 0.223 (P>0.05)); Expected years of schooling has a positive and significant impact on HDI (β6 = 0.0094, P= 0.037 (P<0.05)); Adult literacy has a positive insignificant impact on HDI (β7 = 0.00005, P= 0.225 (P>0.05)). The study’s conclusion is that Livestock held negatively and insignificantly affects HDI in Baringo county; cattle rustling as insecurity, health facilities, mean years of schooling and adult literacy all positively and insignificantly affects HDI, while Life expectancy and expected years of schooling positively and significantly affects HDI in Baringo county. The study recommended that the Baringo county government should refocus its efforts to rebuild both tangible and intangible assets of the community including education, health, and social security.