Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi

This paper describes the recruitment of labor among Samburu pastoralists. Focusing on herding, it shows that families are far from self-sufficient labor units. Herd owners amass much of their needed work force by borrowing related children and by participating in encampment-based cooperative activity. Joint herding is the norm, rather than the exception. The dearth of hired labor within encampments is itself remarkable. While Samburu themselves engage in wage labor, they are reluctant to recruit their own workers in this' manner. Animals, Sambaru wealth, lose value quickly if not properly tended. The herd owner’s need for loyal and reliable workers suggests that his own labor force is better marshalled through his network of closely-tied kin.