Abstract:
Traditional approaches to collective decision-making among Gabra pastoralists of north central Kenya represent an egalitarian, inclusive and deliberative model that stands in contrast to some aspects of conventional approaches to participation, including those most evident in Kenya’s water sector reforms. The management of water resources is the focus of this paper. Whereas the "institutional model" of participation being pursued through the creation of Water Resource User Associations is particularly problematic for mobile pastoralists such as the Gabra, the paper suggests that an alternative strategy would focus on fostering deliberation processes. Around eighteen percent of Kenya's population are pastoralists.
