Legal & policy options to support pastoralism in Kenya

For the course developed by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) on Pastoralism and Policy in East Africa, Michael Odhiambo prepared a contribution on “Policy and legal options for supporting pastoralism at country/inter-county levels in Kenya”. This outlines the opportunities for supporting pastoralism based on the strategy, policies and plans of the Government of Kenya as well as the legal framework of the country.

It concludes that there has been substantial progress in key policy areas, creating opportunities that can be used to strengthen pastoralism as a livelihood, land-use and production system. However, many of the policies are still new, with limited or no implementation frameworks in place. In some cases, laws for implementing the policies have not been enacted and, even where laws have been enacted, regulations are not in place. Institutional capacity is also a critical challenge, especially at devolved levels. Counties have powers vested in them by the Constitution, but not necessarily the institutional, technical and financial resources needed to perform their functions effectively and sustainably. Finally, competition between national and county governments on the distribution of power, functions and resources continues to undermine the effective implementation of devolution.

Posted on 29 August 2022 in Pastoralism, Policy & Power