Effects of 2005-2006 Drought: A Systematic Review of the Evidence in Morulem and Lokichar Pastoral Villages, Kenya

Juma Richard Otieno

Abstract: This paper presents the effects of the 2005-2006 drought and famine in the two pastoral villages in Turkana, Morulem and Lokichar, which were rural and urban respectively. Analyses is based on both qualitative and quantitative data. It’s done to determine if there existed any differences in the impact of the 2005-2006 droughts and famine on the sample population at Morulem and Lokichar villages taken separately. The impact of drought is measured in terms of ‘livestock losses’ and changes in post drought wealth statuses of households in the two localities, while the impact of famine is measured in terms of ‘human losses. The paper shows that, in case of drought and famine, those pastoralists who inhabit hostile environments suffer, while those who live in better resource endowed environments generally survive. The fact that those pastoralists who have ready access to non-pastoral economic opportunities seem to manage drought and famine better than those who remain isolated in the countryside means that there is also an urgent need to encourage pastoralists to diversify their pastoral economy. This should help them to have viable alternatives to pastoral products when their livestock die from drought and famine.

Keywords: Drought, famine, wealth distribution and adaptability