The Influence of Socio-Economic Factors in the Transformation of Rural Economies in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas: Lessons from Turkana County in Northern Kenya

Abstract

This paper identifies socio-economic factors that influence transformation in Turkana County. The study adopted a descriptive survey that targeted a population of 1000 households and 8 key informants. Simple random sampling was used to select 100 respondents at household level. Purposive sampling was used to select key informants. Questionnaires and an interview guide were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics like correlation and multivariate regression were used to check for relationships. Results indicate that majority of people in the region are pastoralists and that there has been no feasible change in their living standards despite the presence of community development projects. The findings further show that there is a high relationship between economic investment, living standards, anti poverty projects, governance and transformation of rural economies both at the zero order level and at the multiple regression stage.