PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS OF DROUGHT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM PASTORALIST COMMUNITIES IN SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAJIADO WEST SUB-COUNTY, KAJIADO COUNTY, KENYA

Purpose of the Study: This study investigated the psychosocial effects of drought among secondary school students from pastoralist communities in selected public secondary schools in Kajiado West Sub-County, Kajiado County, Kenya. Problem Statement: Drought threatens the psychosocial well-being of adolescents in pastoralist communities, yet systematic research on its psychological effects on students in the Kenyan context remains limited, leaving an evidence gap for policy and intervention design. Methodology: A descriptive survey design integrating quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Purposive sampling selected 223 students from two public mixed secondary schools in Kajiado West Sub-County. Data was collected using DASS-21, Brief COPE and Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale, supplemented by principal interviews, and analysed using SPSS and NVivo. Results: Anxiety was the most prominent consequence (54.6% moderate to extremely severe), while depression was mostly normal to mild and stress largely normal. Livestock loss, food and water insecurity, and income reduction were negatively associated with well-being. Conclusion: Drought exerts significant psychosocial consequences on pastoralist students, with anxiety emerging as the most salient burden, driven by chronic uncertainty over livestock loss, income decline and displacement. Recommendation: Schools should integrate counselling and peer-support programmes tailored to anxiety, while government and partners strengthen water, food and financial support and embed psychosocial considerations in climate adaptation frameworks. Keywords: Psychosocial Effects, Drought, Secondary School Students, Pastoralist Communities, Anxiety, DASS-21, Kajiado West, Kenya