An evaluation of social network ties and informal leadership structure in central division of Laikipia district

Abstract

This was a descriptive study which sought to understand the process of building social ties and communities in planned settlements. The work, therefore, is a documentation, description and analysis of the results of investigations conducted during a three month period in two settlements, Mukima and Weruini farms, in Laikipia district. The gist of the investigation, therefore, is the interplay between patterns of inter-personal ties that migrant households established from their new homes, and the subtle forms of leadership in the shaping up of a new community fabric. Our basic assumption was that either kinship or friendship affiliations would influence social relations significantly. From a universe of 115 and 252 households for Mukima and Weruini farms, respectively, we randomly selected a total of 84 informants for the study. Data collection was through surveys, using questionnaires, observation, case studies, family trees and interviews. Frequencies, simple cross- tabulations and percentages were used in the analysis and interpretation of the data. The analysis was therefore based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative information. This study had four main findings: (i) Households in both farms maintained active network ties locally with non-kin as well as with their kins in the pre-settlement areas of origin. Therefore, while friendship was an important factor in forging social relations, kin ties were not completely severed. (ii) The building of a bona fide community, especially as exemplified by Mukima farm, was enhanced by mutual and collective approach to common goals in the settlement. Members of the community depended on one another for their survival. (iii) New households, -especially in Weruini farm, tended to be individualistic in their activities. (iv) Leadership was looked upon as a viable avenue for enhancing the quality of life by fostering a cohesive social fabric. The main recommendation of this study is that there exists opportunities of provoking broad based community well being in resettlement areas that need to be carefully evaluated, enhanced and sustained. The potential exists in the settlements to link networks up as a new and viable approach of helping people develop through self reliance. This promises to strengthen the social fabric of the communities and enhance the quality of life. In conclusion, it is our hope that the issues outlined above, which are discussed in detail in subsequent pages, will contribute to the existing knowledge on the subject of social relations in resettlement situations with particular reference to the social dynamics as they apply in Central division of Laikipia district.