Climate Resilience and Migration among Maasai Pastoralists in Laikipia County, Kenya

This study investigates climate resilience and migration among Maasai pastoralists in Laikipia County, Kenya, addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change to ecosystem-dependent livelihoods. Despite growing interest, qualitative studies linking climate impacts to human mobility outcomes among pastoralist communities remain limited. Drawing on climate resilience theory and climate-induced mobility concepts, the research used qualitative methods, conducting 18 semi-structured interviews with Maasai pastoralists in Laikipia North and applying deductive and thematic coding. Findings show that drought is the major perceived vulnerability. Adaptation strategies are centred on water access, livelihood diversification, and livestock management and are broadly known and implemented. Vulnerability increases migration aspirations but weakens capabilities, while adaptation has the opposite effect. The study concludes that climate change exacerbates existing hardship imposed by deeper structural factors, such as land tenure and governance legacies. Strengthening local democratic processes is essenial to ensure adaptation pathways remain inclusive and safeguard traditional pastoralist livelihoods.