Eye on Africa The Turkana people of Northeast Africa, numbering over 1,016,000 per Kenya’s 2019 census, have traditionally relied on mobile livestock production, with 62% still practicing pastoralism. Pastoralists have long depended on cross-border grazing in Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Ilemi Triangle, but increasing border militarization, conflict, and climate variability have severely restricted mobility. Droughts, occurring twice yearly instead of every five to ten years, have led to catastrophic livestock losses, affecting 62% of Turkana households. This talk examines the compounded effects of climate change, land fragmentation, devolution, and competing land uses on Turkana pastoralists. It evaluates their adaptation strategies amid worsening environmental and socioeconomic conditions, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable policy interventions.
Gregory Akall works as an independent researcher