Effects of Resource Mobilization on Turkana Pastoralists’ Livelihoods: A Focus on Lake Turkana in Kenya

Both natural and human resources shall continue to play an instrumental role towards   fulfilling people’s sustainable livelihoods as evidenced by the large population that still depends on resources for their basic needs. The scenario however is likely to change if appropriate measures are not evolved towards resource mobilization in enhancing sustainable livelihoods   especially among the disadvantaged communities. The main objective of the study was to examine the impact of resource mobilization strategies on Turkana pastoral community, while specific objectives were to; evaluate resource mobilization strategies being applied to Lake Turkana as one of the major resources found in Turkana County, assess the impact of resource mobilization strategies on people’s livelihoods and analyze challenges faced in mobilizing resources around the Lake. The study was based on resource mobilization theory by McCarthy and Zald that views individuals as rational actors that are engaged in instrumental actions that use formal organizations to acquire resources and foster resource mobilization development. Descriptive survey research design was applied where simple random technique was used on stratified samples. Instruments of data collection were; questionnaires, focused group discussions, interview schedules and observation. Out of the targeted population of 134,674, a sample size of 277 was selected. Data was coded and assigned numeric values, descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed using computer statistical software where results were presented in tables, graphs and figures. The study findings showed that Turkana community is endowed with numerous resources and Lake Turkana being one of the important resources available in Turkana County. The study indicated the following as key strategies for resource mobilization in Turkana; proposal writing, fundraising and community mobilization and support from the state and none state actors. The hypothesis was; Ho1, there is no significant relationship between resource mobilization strategies and people’s livelihoods. The hypothesis was tested and ?2 = 1014.326, df =221 and sig = 0.000 was found. The researcher therefore rejected the null hypothesis since p < 0.05 and confirmed that there existed a significant relationship between resource mobilization and pastoralist communities’ livelihoods. The relationship was established by use of Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r). The level of significance was set at .05 whereby a result would be statistically significant if p is less than the set value. The coefficient of determination (r squared) was calculated to quantify the strength of the linear relationship. There was need to determine the magnitude and direction of this relation.  The results indicated a weak but positive (r = 0.382) correlation between resource mobilization strategies and pastoralist communities’ livelihoods. The study is worthwhile since it strengthens the existing policy framework on resource mobilization strategies on pastoral communities and also informs all the stake holders on matters of policy formulation and decision making on matters relating to Pastoral economy