The complexities of interpreting climate change: the case of Il Chamus, Baringo County, Kenya

Colonial and post-colonial states subscribed to misplaced narratives about Africans, especially pastoralists, and their role in environmental degradation. Many of these narratives and ‘scientific’ ideas strongly impacted land use and environmental policies that constrained how pastoralists could respond to climate variability. This paper explores how perceptions of and responses to climate change are shaped by state interventions and politics among Maa-speaking Il Chamus of Baringo County, Kenya. It highlights the complexities of interpreting climate events across time, class, and politics and the difficulties of isolating climate change from other environmental events. By using a political ecology approach, the study argues (1) that politics often are disguised under environmental policies and interventions pursued by the state, including those centered on climate change mitigation; and (2) that local discussions of the impacts of climate and other environmental changes are shaped by power dynamics, class, and other differences. By drawing on the author’s long-term research in the region, the paper traces over time how frequent but different types of “shocks” (environmental, political economic, and social), shape local experiences and perceptions of climate change. The paper concludes with a discussion of how a recent political victory by Il Chamus should improve their capacity to cope with climate change in the future.