PhD thesis Title Page Final _Richard Juma - Victoria University ...

The reasons for choosing Morulem as a study site are threefold: Firstly, it
was very dry compared to other areas in Turkana. Secondly, its
remoteness from any major population centre made it an ideal location for
making observations on how ‘pure’ pastoralists adjust to drought and
famine on their own presumably with little initial outside help. The
inhabitants of Morulem are part of the Ngibelai territorial section of
Turkana. It is a purely rural environment with a relatively homogenous
community. Thirdly, Morulem has hardly any of the facilities Lokichar
enjoys; it is more or less a wilderness. At the time of the study, there were
four poorly stocked and almost broken-down shops and a primary school.
Apart from the listed facilities, there is very little else that might be
described as modern. The shops rarely carry more than maize meal, beans,
and local meat. Famine relief recipients remained in their usual homes
(Manyattas).
Lokichar is located approximately 70 km south of Lodwar town and about
two and half hours from Morulem. Like Morulem, it also experiences high
temperatures of about 38 degrees Celsius with very limited rainfall most of
the year (Republic of Kenya 2002: 8). Lokichar is more influenced by
Kenya government administration and ministries. It has a police post, six
shops, mostly run by Somali people, and two government primary schools.
The site was chosen mainly for comparison purposes in the hope that data
collected there would show differences from Morulem in adjustment to the
2005-2006 drought and famine. The section of Turkana around Lokichar,
like their Ngibelai neighbours, belongs to the Ngisonyoka territorial
section. They are also traditionally ‘pure pastoralists’. However, the
assumption in selecting the Ngisonyoka for the study was that, owing to
their closeness to Lodwar town and to the economic changes occasioned by
the introduction of Lodwar–Kitale highway in 1985, they have been
exposed to modern life styles. Lokichar is a centre of a communication
network linking the Turkana District with the wider society. It seems to
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