Water Governance In Pastoralist Areas Of Africa
Feinstein International Center
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Abstract: This briefing investigates how top-down infrastructure planning undermines pastoralist livelihoods and water access in dryland regions. Drawing insights from Wajir (Kenya) and Chad, the study critiques conventional water investments that disregard mobility-based production systems. It argues that sedentarization and formalization schemes often exclude informal governance norms critical for adaptive dryland resilience. The briefing advocates integrated water governance that respects spatial fluidity, informal institutions, and the logic of pastoral production. Using case study failures, it underscores how uncoordinated donor projects led to restricted livestock mobility, accelerated land degradation, and social fragmentation. Key recommendations include participatory design, systemic planning, cross-sectoral integration, and decentralization of water committees. The study concludes that embedding pastoral logic into climate-proof water strategies is essential to safeguard livelihoods, ecological balance, and social peace across fragile ASAL counties like Wajir.