Legislator and livestock: a comparative analysis of pastoralist parliamentary groups in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda

This final report synthesises the findings of three case studies carried out under the NRI/PENHA research project on Pastoralist Parliamentary Groups (PPGs) in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.Several methodological and substantive issues of importance in analysing the role of the PPGs are identified:uncertainties involved in reconstructing the often controversial histories of the groupslimits of MPs’ “representativeness”, but also the limits of this as a sole criterion for their effectivenessuneven spread of new thinking on pastoralism, and the need for local variations of, and continued debate on, the new paradigmscomplexities of the policy process, and the need for the use of multiple frameworks in analysing it the need to examine carefully both the formal and informal workings of parliamentsthe need to look at national parliaments alongside systems of regional and local governmentthe need to look at the contexts of history, ethnicity, and real and perceived national security in the various countries.Challenges for PPGs themselves are outlined:engaging with policy questions and influencing the big debates on policymastering parliamentary procedures, both formal and informal, to influence governmentmaintaining their own continuity as key individuals do not return to parliament by exploring:more formal arrangements for civil society or research organisations to provide ongoing advisory and/or secretariat servicesways of co-opting ex-MPs and non-MPs as honorary membersaccessing appropriate information for the debates they engage in and their capacitiesmobilising their own resources, and those of parliament and governmentovercoming particular local, clan and ethnic circumstancesmaking use of the potential synergies between members of different backgrounds, generations, regions, standings within governmentmaintaining effective regional networks of PPGs, to exchange experience of organising themselves and influencing policy.General guidelines are given for donors and NGOs, who are considering working with issues related to PPGs:analyse the options in a real-world political context, using expert knowledge of each countrybe pragmatic about the quality of MPs and their “representativeness”work with individuals, particularly “policy entrepreneurs”work regionally, but in a way that supports the PPGs’ national mandatesbuild capacity; particularly through information provision and training, but not necessarily neglecting “hard” capacityaddress the issues of continuity and institutional memorybuild alliances with civil society, international NGOs, the media and local government.