Promoting pastoralist heritage & alternative visions in northern Kenya

The article “The promotion of pastoralist heritage and alternative visions for the future of northern Kenya” by Zoe Cormack (Journal of Eastern African Studies 10(3): 548–567, DOI: 10.1080/17531055.2016.1266195) examines increasing claims of ‘heritage’ and ‘culture’ along the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor. It looks at how heritage is used to promote pastoralism, communal land ownership and the survival of indigenous cultures in northern Kenya. In the context of the infrastructural development projects contained in the LAPSSET and Vision 2030 plans, ‘heritage’ is emerging as a way of negotiating change. Various legal instruments, including the formalisation of customary laws and biocultural community protocols have been developed to protect pastoralist heritage and communal land tenure. One example is the attempt in Isiolo County to re-invent and strengthen a Borana customary institution for grazing management: the dedha council of elders. The article explores how this forms part of a larger conversation about the value of pastoralism and how the heritage of pastoralism is positioned as the basis for an alternative ‘vision’ for the future of Kenya’s arid lands. Attempts to revive customary institutions are revealed as part of the process of transforming space in northern Kenya.

Posted on 26 January 2024 in Pastoralism & Culture, Pastoralism & Extractives, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Value of Pastoralism