The state and the pastoralists: The marginalization of the Kenyan Maasai [1985]

Abstract

The work traces the main causes of the declining viability of the Kenyan Maasai to the different stages in the penetration of commodity relations into the pastoral sector during the colonial and post colonial periods, and the contradictions of public policy which is grounded in superficial interpretation of pastoral production rationality. By appreciating the diverse strategies employed by the Maasai, the author contends that any government attempts at developing range productivity have to be compatible with the socio-economic concerns of the pastoralists inhabiting such areas