Factors Affecting Access to Basic Formal Education among the Nomadic Pastoralists of North Kenya: A Case of the Samburu.

Abstract

The focus of this study was to examine factors affecting access to basic formal education among the nomadic pastoralists in Kenya with specific reference to the Samburu. Despite education being one of the basic human rights and an empowerment prerequisite, its accessibility among nomadic pastoralists in Kenya has remained low. This study therefore tested the influence of facility specific factors, (such as real and opportunity cost of education, distance to school), background factors, (such as sex of the child, domestic work done by children, mobility of the household, perceived importance of formal education by parents/guardians, occupation of guardian, guardian’s education, parental participation in school matters), and agro-ecological zones/regions on access to basic formal education among the Samburu. To facilitate the data collection, Samburu County was stratified into three clusters (zones), namely, Highland-Rural, Lowland-Rural and Urban. Multi-stage and random sampling were used to select 200 household heads. Data were collected and analysed using SPSS computer packages and further presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study findings revealed that distance, cost, domestic work, gender, guardian’s education level and occupation, and mobility of the household were the main factors that affected access to basic formal education among the Samburu and by implication other nomadic pastoralist. As a result, the study recommended for more schools to be availed, make formal education flexible, improve infrastructure and promote diversification of livelihoods among the Samburu.

Keywords: Nomadic education, nomadic pastoralists, basic education access, samburu