Education is vital to improve the lives of the Turkana People in north-western Kenya, according to a new study.

Dr Spyridon Lazarakis, a Lecturer in Macroeconomics in the Department of Economics in Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), is part of an international team who have conducted a study in Turkana over the last two years.

Along with colleagues from the University of Glasgow, Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Friends of Lake Turkana, Dr Lazarakis has investigated the importance of education for a people who have always depended on livestock for earning a living.

The project, funded by the Scottish Funding Council as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), found that Turkana pastoralists are increasingly embracing education as a means of earning a livelihood.

The team carried out fieldwork conducted in three sites (Kangakipur, Loperot and Napusumoru) in southern areas of Turkana, which involved household surveys, interviews, focus group discussions and field observations.

The Turkana People have always depended on their livestock for their livelihoods, and it remains at the centre of the lives of their communities, as the basis of their diet and their income. It is also an important element of their cultural heritage, because it is linked to traditional practices including the use of animals for payment of a dowry during marriages, for food during ceremonies and celebrations, for kinship support, and for prestige and social status.

At the same time, Turkana pastoralists are exposed to increasing risks, such as drought and livestock diseases, in an environment of limited infrastructure and low educational engagement, leading to poverty and inequality. Due to their overreliance on livestock, these risks have adverse effects on their livelihoods, making education an important investment.

“Our research shows that Turkana pastoralists are increasingly embracing education as a means of earning a livelihood,” said Dr Lazarakis. “We have identified perceived obstacles to education which are linked to sociocultural characteristics of the Turkana pastoralists, as well as external factors that are beyond their control, such as infrastructure and the physical environment).

“We are also able to highlight the expected benefits from education, including as a source of employment and income, as a way to diversify livelihoods, and to advance social status.”

The researchers produced a briefing note, Turkana pastoralists at risk: Why education matters, to highlight their findings, as well as an educational booklet, Voices of the Turkana People, telling the story of the lives of the Turkana People from their own perspectives.

“The collection of local narratives presents the voices of Turkana pastoralists living in these local communities,” said Dr Lazarakis. “The views expressed are those conveyed by local people themselves."

The booklet will be distributed in primary schools in Turkana to initiate discussions on the cultural and economic characteristics of the Turkana communities, and how these interact with gender issues, future prospects for the young populations, environmental and educational challenges, and the ability to cope with future risks. The booklet will encourage critical reflective debate among pupils on these matters, and is available both in English and Kiturkana, the language of the Turkana People.

Dr Lazarakis worked with Dr Konstantinos Angelopoulos and Dr Rebecca Mancy (University of Glasgow), Dr Dorice Agol (Friends of Lake Turkana) and Dr Elissaios Papyrakis (International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam) on the project.