Empowering and Connecting Pastoralists in Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya  

Indigenous pastoralists in Northern Tanzania and in Kenya’s Kajiado and Narok Counties face significant climate-induced challenges, including land degradation, resource scarcity, and the erosion of traditional livelihoods. In recent decades, national and regional policies and legislation have restricted the traditional mobility of pastoralists and cut them off from common property resources, such as land and forests. These challenges are exacerbated by a lack of cohesive networks among regional Indigenous and pastoralist groups, hindering their ability to collectively advocate for their rights and influence policy.

Under this two-and-a-half-year, $200,000 USD project, Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO) plans to build collective climate action by fostering partnerships, facilitating dialogues, and developing shared advocacy strategies among Indigenous communities in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania. MPIDO will support this network to restore and rebuild traditional institutions that govern land and natural resources, creating space for environmental sustainability that aligns with traditional grazing patterns and unrestricted pastoralist mobility.