Human response to drought and famine in Turkana, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to inquire into the indigenous modes of coping with drought and famine among the nomadic Turkana of northwestern Kenya. The study was carried out during the 1979-80 drought and famine period. The findings were that the Turkana nomads possess a repertoire of adaptive strategies which stand out in their boldest relief in times of economic hardship. This study found that migration, splitting families and the search for allies were the dominant modes of adaptation. The allies sought out included traders, kinsmen, affines, bond-friends, neighbours and the school. The study found out that the adaptive strategies aimed at augmenting existing domestic food supplies by looking for nonpastoral food sources. At the same time, where possible, families were split and some of the members sent away to relatives, friends or the school in order to ease the consumption pressure on available household food reserves. The process thus helped to slough off population from the pastoral sector. The factors which seemed to have determined the scope and effectiveness of the adaptive choices were the physical, social and economic environment. The Yapakuno who inhabited a more hostile and isolated environment suffered more severely while the Ngissiger of the more richly endowed environment escaped almost w1scathed. It was further found out that the economically active part of the population (10-59 years age bracket) coped better with the drought and famine than the young (0-9 years old) and the aged (above 60 years). Thus the weak faced the greatest jeopardy.