A Systems Perspective of Changes Within Pastoralist Populations in and Around Sibiloi National Park, Kenya

Authors

Cody Willnerd, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

Fall 12-2018

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In recent years, pastoralist settlement around Sibiloi National Park in Kenya has increased illegal grazing within the park’s boundaries. This issue stems from a myriad of causes, such as; food aid, sedentism, better access to healthcare, lack of grazing land, increase in number of droughts and increase in number of livestock head. The region has a significant lack of research on the topic and a systems perspective will be constructed in this research paper. The systems perspective will be constructed with the use of past literature and interviews answered by those who live in the East Turkana region. Findings have found that sedentism has been made popular due to foreign aid that has poured into the region. This sedentism has created conflict with competing tribes due to settlements being created near tribal boundaries. Sedentism has also contaminated water sources and overgrazed grasslands. Seasonal movements have also changed due to sedentism, and tribal authority has decayed. Foreign aid has helped with the increasing population of the Dassenach community, which is one of the largest pastoralist tribes in East Turkana. The size of livestock herds have also grown in number. These increases have pushed wildlife out from their native habitats thus diminishing their numbers within the park.