Navigating Traditional and Modern Technology among the Maasai Pastoralists of Kenya

Abstract

In the past decades, pastoralists have experienced numerous challenges such as climate change, increased rainfall variability, land tenure changes, diseases, and conflicts that have put the resilience of pastoral systems to test. In the era of technological advancement, modern technology has penetrated pastoral systems and has been appropriated to meet local needs. Consequently, longstanding pastoral practices such as communication and mobility have been diversified. Based on interviews and informal conversations conducted with Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, this study demonstrates that pastoralists use both traditional and modern technology to cope with ecological challenges and build resilience in pastoral systems. We argue that modern technologies have not changed pastoral practices; instead, they have pluralised existing pastoralists‟ communication and mobility systems and ability to navigate ecological challenges.