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 Walking with the Maasai in Kenya Walking with his animals, Sosoika Karanda explained to BBC World Service how the Maasai live by rearing livestock rather than cultivating the land. He explained how the walks to enable the animals to drink are vital for all of their survival. "My home is here in Magadi, in the Rift valley, where I live with my wife and six children. I was born and brought up here and inherited the land from my father. I married in 1976 and had 20 cows but they died from drought and disease and I had to start again. "Today I am taking my cows to the water point. I have ten cattle and we walk slowly so that they can graze as we go. I go twice a week. We have had some light rain, enough for the goats, so they don’t need to go with us. I breed the goats and sell them until I have enough money to buy another cow.” Sosoika’s wife Neshoo takes their donkeys to the water point three times a week to collect their domestic water, for cooking and drinking, and for the little goat kids which are too small to walk to the water point. The cattle are Sosoika’s responsibility. Livestock is how we live "Sometimes we have to move for months at a time to find grass and water. If it is very serious the whole family comes with me. Two years ago we did that. But this year we haven’t needed to go, there’s been enough rain. "I milk the cows and together with the goats' milk this is enough for my family. When we have plenty of milk we drink it every day. But in the drought the animals don’t produce and we may go for months without milk. "Livestock is how we live. We can’t cultivate in this area but we can sell the animals and pay school fees, buy food, take the children to hospital. That’s why they are so important to us. "I never went to school. But I saw others go and decided my son should go so that he is not disadvantaged as I was by my parents. I want my son to get a good education so that he can be of help to us in the future. "I have six children. The Maasai are a traditional community and by our standards I am poor, although I have 100 goats and ten cows. You could have 500 animals and still be poor if you have no children. If you have 300 animals and 20 children, then you are rich." Water is life The walk takes Sosoika across dry stony land, with thorn trees and shrubs. Not a lot grows. The ground drops down a steep hill to a dry lake, caked in salt. The water point is across the valley at the foot of a low hill. On top of the hill is Magadi Soda, a private town built by a British company, which mines soda ash and salt. Sometimes Sosoika works for Magadi Soda as a labourer on short contracts. Much to his annoyance the contracts are not always renewed. The company has provided schools, housing, a hospital and clean water. "The water point we are walking to was built by the Magadi Soda company in 1991. But we helped build it and sold cows to contribute money to the cost, so why can’t they move the pipeline closer to where we live? "We have clean water here, but the distance is too great, we have to walk too far. We have walked about 7 kilometres, and once the animals have drunk and grazed we will have to walk 7 kilometres back again. "Water is life. You can’t live without washing, without eating, we can’t raise animals without water. So water is what makes our life." Listen to the radio series:  Water Walks parts 1 and 2
BBC World Service Online walked with Sosoika Karanda in February 2003 |
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