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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 12

Publication Date: December 25, 2021

DOI:10.14738/assrj.812.11314. Korir, J., Meli, E., & Ndegwa, B. (2021). Effect of Climate Change on Acquisition of Quality Education: A Case Study of Maasai

Pastoralists in Narok County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(12). 81-92.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Effect of Climate Change on Acquisition of Quality Education: A

Case Study of Maasai Pastoralists in Narok County, Kenya

Janet Korir

Geography and Environmental studies department, Moi University.

Emmanuel Meli

Administrator, Ministry of Interior and Coordination, Kenya

Beatrice Ndegwa

Geography and Environmental studies department, Moi University

ABSTRACT

Climate change is a global phenomenon with far reaching impacts. Arid and semi- arid communities in Kenya, among them the Maasai community from Narok County,

are dependent on the natural resources for their livelihood thus are greatly hit by

the adverse impacts of climate change. This paper sought to establish the indirect

effects of climate change on the quality of education among the Maasai community.

Desktop literature review approach and key informant phone interviews were

adopted for data collection. The review of literature indicated that increased

poverty levels arising from climate change has largely affected the affordability of

quality education. Therefore, people in Maasai community resort to coping

mechanisms on labour demands that accelerate school dropout as well as early

marriages. The Maasai herders are forced to increase their migration trends to long

distances, a practice that has increased child labour disrupting learning for most

school going children. In addition, the girl child has become more vulnerable to

sexual abuse and early marriages with a consequent denial of education

opportunities. The effect of the climate change on wildlife habitat has led to human- wildlife conflict that poses a threat to the security of the community members and

therefore interferes with the smooth running of schools. Consequently,

interventions to mitigate climate change effects should not only concentrate on the

direct but also the indirect impacts that have got multiplier effects on sectors like

education. These interventions should include, provision of adequate water

infrastructure, investment in education policy and boarding school Infrastructural

development.

Key Words: Climate change, education, livelihoods, Pastoral community

INTRODUCTION

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [1] climate change

is an alteration of climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity. Climate change

alters the composition of the global atmosphere and observed over comparable time periods.

The negative impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in the present day.

The effects include long term changes in average temperature and rainfall; changes in the

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 12, December-2021

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

intensity, timing, and geographic distribution of rainfall; an increase in the frequency of

extreme events such as drought, floods and rise in the sea level [2].

According to Varner [3] the South-eastern part of South America precipitation has been

recorded to increase and is experienced in the form of sudden deluges that often leads to

flooding, soil erosion hence endangers lives and livelihoods. South-western parts of South

America and Western Central America have been reported to experience reduced precipitation

and increased droughts. A significant increase in rainfall at a rate of 49mm/year has been

reported in south Africa and in Volta basin which comprises of six countries in West Africa

between 1901 and 1969 [4].

In the Horn of Africa, the experience of drought with high intensity and frequency of drought

periods has been recorded on a yearly basis for the last 12 years [5]. In Kenya the effect of

climate change has already been felt with its arid and semi-arid regions being among the worst

affected areas. As per the IPCC [2] projections, Kenya’s mean annual temperatures will increase

by 1-2.8 ° C by the 2060 and 1.3-4.5° C by the 2090.

Narok County is a relatively dry area and just like other dry areas in Kenya has witnessed

climate change events in form of frequent severe patterns of floods and droughts, increased

annual temperatures since 1950 [6]. The trend is projected to worsen in coming years [7].

It is evident that climate change impacts continue to be experienced globally with the

phenomenon generally altering weather patterns around the world including rising

temperatures; changes in rainfall pattern; rise in sea levels; higher frequency of droughts and

increase in floods among other weather patterns [8]. Climate changes have got both direct and

indirect impacts which affect the general development of every society. As opined by Verner

[3], climate change is a great development challenge of the present day terming it as not just a

global environmental issue but rather a threat to economic growth; poverty reduction and may

unravel the development milestones made in the past decades.

Many of the interventions by governments and development partners have put in place are

often skewed towards addressing the direct impacts of the climate change which are mainly the

altered weather pattern whereas not much has been done to address the indirect impacts [9].

The indirect impacts and the consequent effects of these impacts need to be integrated into

policy intervention decisions that are geared towards mitigation of climate change.

This paper therefore highlights the effects of climate change on the quality of education which

is an indirect impact of climate change. The findings will help in drawing the attention of policy

makers to the indirect effects of climate change and particularly on the quality of education.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Climate change phenomenon has been characterized by extreme weather conditions of

alternating floods and drought; rising temperatures and rise in the sea level. The recurrence of

floods and drought in the last few decades have increased spatially and intensified with its

effects being felt with a lot of intensity than ever before across the globe [2]. The trends in

rainfall have also changed in that; whereas some regions have experienced a decrease in

rainfall, others have recorded an increase. These changes have been evident across the world

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Korir, J., Meli, E., & Ndegwa, B. (2021). Effect of Climate Change on Acquisition of Quality Education: A Case Study of Maasai Pastoralists in Narok

County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(12). 81-92.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.812.11314

for instance in Latin America as mentioned in the preceding section. The rainfall trend in some

parts of Africa has also recorded a decline and has been drier in the last few decades with an

estimated decrease of 6 mm/year between 1970 and 2002 whereas in some parts like in South

Africa and the Volta basin has recorded a significant increase in rainfall [4].

In Kenya the temperature is estimated to have been increasing at the rate of 0.2% annually over

the past five decades [9]. The climate projection for the ASAL of Kenya includes longer and more

frequent dry periods interspersed with intense but shorter and unpredictable periods of

rainfall [10]. In Narok County climate change has been manifested in the form of frequent

severe patterns of floods and droughts as well as increased annual temperatures since 1950

[6]. The trend is projected to worsen in coming years [7]. The figures below show the annual

average temperature between 1960 and 2016 and rainfall trends between 1950 and 2016 for

Narok County.

Figure 1. Annual average temperature trends -1960-2016 Source Korir2019

Figure 2. Annual Rainfall trends -1950-2016 Source Korir2019