The Relationship between Climate Change, Variability, and Food Security: Understanding the Impacts and Building Resilient Food Systems in West Pokot County, Kenya

This study integrated local and scientific knowledge to assess the impacts of climate change and variability on food security in West Pokot County, Kenya from 1980–2012. It characterized rainfall and temperature from 1980–2011 and the phenology of agricultural vegetation, assessed land use and land cover (LULC) changes, and surveyed local knowledge and perceptions of the relationships between climate change and variability, land use decisions, and food (in)security. The 124 respondents were aware of long-term changes in their environment, with 68% strongly believing that climate has become more variable. The majority of the respondents (88%) reported declining rainfall and rising temperatures, with respondents in the lowland areas reporting shortened growing seasons that affected food production. Meteorological data for 1980–2011 confirmed high inter-annual rainfall variability around the mean value of 973.4 mm/yr but with no notable trend. Temperature data showed an increasing trend between 1980 and 2012 with lowlands and highlands showing changes of +1.25 °C and +1.29 °C, respectively. Land use and land cover changes between 1984 and 2010 showed cropland area increased by +4176% (+33,138 ha), while grassland and forest areas declined by –49% (–96,988 ha) and –38% (–65,010 ha), respectively. These area changes illustrate human-mediated responses to the rainfall variability, such as increased stocking after good rainfall years and crop area expansion. The mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values ranged from 0.36–0.54 within a year, peaking in May and September. For weather-related planning, respondents relied on radio (64%) and traditional forecasters (26%) as predominant information sources. Supporting continuous climate change monitoring, intensified early warning systems, and disseminating relevant information to farmers could help farmers adopt appropriate adaptation strategies.

Dynamics of Terrace Adoption, Propagation, Benefits & Challenges among Dryland Agro-Pastoralist Communities of West Pokot

Conventional approach of establishing soil conservation strategies in degraded drylands has had negligible success. This has been contributed by many constraints, including; lagging of farmers in technology adoption, inadequate resources, and lack of motivation. Thus, a study was conducted among three agro-pastoral community farmer groups in Korellach Parak, Kapkitony, and Kaporowo villages domiciled in Chepareria ward, West Pokot, Kenya, to assess contributory factors and consequences of adopting terracing as a soil conservation measure. Mixed methods comprising; one-on-one interviews, cross-sectional field measurements, and focus group discussions (FGDs), were used for data collection. Results indicate that the agro-pastoral communities are fully aware of soil degradation and its impacts. Besides terracing, farmers practice stone bands, enclosures, agroforestry, and ridges. Terracing is a recently adopted farm-level soil conservation practice achieved through organized farmer groups dubbed “Kemorokorenyo” (meaning let us reclaim our land) merry-go-round. Within the three villages, 60% of the households have their farms terraced with an average terrace volume of 103.8±21.45m3, 105.89±33.126m3, and 129.6±15.966m3 in Parak Kapkitony and Kaporowo, respectively. Rapid sedimentation of terraces dykes, which contributes to the reduced effectiveness of the terrace system was identified as the major challenge. The sediment volume significantly differs along the slope, with the highest sediment build-up experienced on high slopes as shown by the Kruskal Wallis test; H (2) =6.699, p=0.035. Terrace embankments reinforcement practice to counter sedimentation challenge has faced slow adoption. The poor reinforcement is attributable to the lack of knowledge on suitable local context multipurpose materials to meet the community’s needs.

Provision of Quality Education in Public Early Childhood Education Centres in West Pokot County, Kenya

There is a global emphasis on the importance of providing quality early childhood education and care to all children. The issue of provision of quality early childhood education for arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya has received less attention as it contributes to the status of literacy of the whole population. This paper looks at the provision of quality education in public early childhood education centres also known as pre-primary schools in West Pokot County, Kenya. The study methodology incorporated qualitative and quantitative methods of research. This study took pragmatism as its philosophical paradigm. The study used a descriptive survey research design. The target population for the research involved 365 headteachers and 682 teachers. The sample size for the study was arrived at by taking 10-30% of the target population to act as the sample size that is 10% for headteachers and 30% for ECDE teachers. The research instruments used were; questionnaires and interview guides. The data collected was analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. Statistical Package for Social Science (Version 20.0) helped in coding, entry and analysis. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis method. The study found out that provision of quality education was at average level (M=2.87, SD=1.13) in public pre-primary schools in West Pokot County. This means that half of the pupils in public pre-primary schools in the county are not receiving quality education and hence affecting their development in schools. Therefore, the paper recommends that adequate measures need to be put in place by the County Government of West Pokot County to ensure that public ECDE centres provide quality education through building more ECDE classrooms, employment of teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, provision of adequate instructional materials and meals programmes for remote schools to increase learners retention

Changes in Cattle Rustling on Gender Relations Among the Pokot in West Pokot, Kenya

Evidence of change in cattle rustling practice among pastoralist communities worldwide has been noted with globalisation, education, and modernisation, among other factors. However, there is little known about transformation in men and women's involvement in this practice in the wake of easy accessibility of small and light weapons and breakdown of the traditional leadership and control systems. This paper examined the transformation in cattle rustling practice among the Pokot community in West Pokot county. This study's target population included adult residents of the Pokot community, community elders, opinion leaders, political and administrative leaders, and local and international NGOs dealing with cattle rustling issues in West Pokot County. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 350 respondents. An unstructured questionnaire, a critical informant interview guide, a focus group discussion guide, and an observation guide were used to collect primary data. Qualitative data collected was analysed using patterns and critical themes of this particular objective. Quantitative data analysis was organised using the SPSS software version 2.0 and analysed using various descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that transformation in cattle rustling had seen a cultural activity for the young people to demonstrate their courage and wit and become a murderous criminal endeavour. The community no longer benefits from cattle rustling, but only a few are driven by greed to reap where they never sow. Illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, community conflicts, possession of firearms and insecurity were identified as the leading causes of cattle rustling. Access to formal education has seen many in the school-going age among the West Pokot get exposed to literacy, which has gradually recorded a positive transformation about its cattle rustling practices. Based on the findings, the paper makes the following recommendations to address the problem of cattle rustling among the people of West Pokot County: Enlightenment on contemporary ways of life; formal education among the Pokot to be advocated for; enhancing Security in West Pokot; opening a platform for peace talk and persuasions and operationalising the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation protocol.

Female Students Participation in Technical Vocational Education and Training in West Pokot County, Kenya

Quality and affordable technical vocational education and training are one of the United Nations Sustainable Development agenda items for ensuring equal access to education for all women and men by the year 2030. This means that all women in the country need to have relevant skills for employment, job creation and entrepreneurship. Data from West Pokot County, Kenya department of technical and vocational education show the number of female students being admitted in vocational training centres for the past five years has remained low. Whereas the government of Kenya has viewed TVET as a critical element of attaining Sustainable Development Goal and Kenya’s Vision 2030 goals, the number of female students graduating from vocational training and being absorbed in the job market remains low. This study looks at enrolment trends for female students in vocational training centres and further examines factors discouraging female students from joining vocational training institutions (VTCs). To collect data, interviews and documentary evidence were used. The respondents for the study involve managers of selected VTCs in West Pokot County. Analysis of data was done through qualitative and quantitative methods. The study found out that the distribution of students in all public VTCs in West Pokot County favoured the male gender over female students. For women enrolled in various programmes, only 45.0% fully completed their programme. It was found out that courses offered in VTCs tend to attract more male students compared to female ones. The distribution of the teaching workforce in VTCs was found to be male-dominated and therefore, female students did not have role models to look up to. The research also found out that majority of girls who were unable to proceed to secondary and tertiary education were not aware of the opportunities available in VTCs in the county. The paper concludes that social-cultural factors, lack of role models and poverty were some of the barriers affecting female students’ participation in vocational education and training. The paper suggests more work needs to be done by all stakeholders to ensure that courses offered in VTCs are attractive to female students, remove social, cultural and physical barriers which prevent female students from enrolling and completing vocational training in West Pokot County, Kenya.

Influence of Culture on Girl Child Education in Central Pokot Sub County, Kenya

Cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation, early child marriages and patriarchy have been on the rise in West Pokot despite interventions by government and non-state actors over the years. These outdated cultural practices have hindered the progress of girls academically. It is vital to educate the girl-child in society. However, teenage pregnancy gets girls at the wrong time when they are still in schools and this affects their education very much and eventually ends up ruining their future. This paper looks at how various cultural practices have affected girl child education in West Pokot County, Kenya. The study was conducted in Central Pokot Sub County primary schools targeting 12 headteachers and 120 teachers. The respondents were selected through purposive and simple random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Data collected were analysed using percentages and frequencies. The results of the study showed that the status of girl-child education was low. Cultural factors like; early marriages, female genital mutilation, child labour, widowhood practices and taboos influenced girl-child education. The study found out those cultural factors in the study area affected girl-child education negatively as it slowed down their transition, academic performance and also the acquisition of knowledge required at the basic education level. The study recommends that the government should take legal action against parents who take their girl-children for FGM and early marriages; there is a need for awareness on the importance of girl child education, provision of scholarships for girls at basic and tertiary level and introduction of guidance and counselling sessions in schools.

A Study on the Comprehensive Comparison between Indigenous Cattle Rustling and Modern Cattle Rustling in West Pokot County, Kenya

Evidence of change in cattle rustling practice among pastoralist communities worldwide has been noted with globalisation, education, and modernisation, among other factors. However, there is little known about transformation in men and women’s involvement in this practice in the wake of easy accessibility of small and light weapons (SALWs) and breakdown of the traditional leadership and control systems. This paper examined the transformation in cattle rustling practice among the Pokot community in West Pokot county. This study’s target population included adult residents of Pokot community, community elders, opinion leaders, political and administrative leaders, and local and international NGOs dealing with cattle rustling issues in West Pokot county. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 350 respondents. An unstructured questionnaire, a critical informant interview guide, a focus group discussion guide, and an observation guide were used to collect primary data. Qualitative data collected was analysed using patterns and critical themes of this particular objective. Quantitative data analysis was organised using the SPSS software version 2.0 and analysed using various descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that transformation in cattle rustling had seen a cultural activity for the young people to demonstrate their courage and wit and become a murderous criminal endeavour. The community no longer benefits from cattle rustling, but only a few are driven by greed to reap where they never sow. Illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, community conflicts, possession of firearms and insecurity were identified as the leading causes of cattle rustling. Access to formal education has seen many in the school-going age among the West Pokot get exposed to literacy, which has gradually recorded a positive transformation about its cattle rustling practices. Based on the findings, the paper makes the following recommendations to address the problem of cattle rustling among the people of West Pokot County: Enlightenment on contemporary ways of life; formal education among the Pokot to be advocated for; enhancing Security in West Pokot; opening a platform for peace talk and persuasions and operationalising the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) protocol.