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

a set of hypotheses, which data generated by a given methodology cannot
test, would be a futile exercise.
This study used a variety of data collection techniques and sources of
information to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. I applied
multiple strategies, or triangulation. Different methods were used, and
different people were asked the same questions in different settings. This
reduced the chances of ending up with biased interpretations.
Initially, I was meant to use participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercises at
selected research sites. While in the field, I realized that it was very
difficult to organize Turkana pastoralists to come together because of their
nomadic nature. Therefore, I decided to use four main sources with an
understanding that data collected would help in answering the research
questions. This complied with Mikkelsen’s (1995: 223) argument that
“methods should not become straitjackets” and it is the objectives that
should guide one to choose the methods, and not the other way around.
The main data sources drawn upon were: documentary search,
observation and informal interviews, key informant interviews, household
surveys, and case histories and mapping. These methods and their
limitations are elaborated as below:
3.4.1 Documentary data.
Mikkelsen (1995: 74) writes “no matter what your research topic is there is
almost always a wealth of information hidden in a variety of sources”. For
this thesis, published and unpublished research and reports on historical,
socio-economic, cultural, political, ecological, national, and area-specific
issues have been reviewed, and both used as background information, and
to strengthen presentation of findings and analysis. The main source of
secondary data was library and archival research.
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