Abstract:
Pastoralism has been under pressure due to a number of factors including climate change, population pressure and socioeconomic dynamism. These factors have affected the relationships among different pastoral groups and the functioning of the customary institutions in managing natural resources. Interference of the state structures into pastoral areas, land alienation for large scale investment and delineation of protected area from communal grazing areas have negatively affected the relationships between pastoralists and the state. Hence, the protection of pastoral land rights and tenure security have become critical issues raised among those advocating rights based approach to securing livelihoods. Given these changes occurring over decades and putting pastoralists in disadvantageous position, one might be interested to learn whether or not customary systems are still central in land administration and natural resource management in the pastoral areas and the state has to revise its land administration policy to safeguard pastoral land rights.
