East African plant use – differences in plant use between nomadic and agricultural societies

This paper examines the differences in plant use between the Kikyu, Maasai and Samburu societies in Kenya. The Kikuyu people mostly occupy the Central Province of Kenya. Farming is the main economic activityin the area with coffee and tea as the main cash crops. This region has high population density and large concentration of forests, which are facing intense pressure due to over-utilization. The Samburu are pastoralists in Northern Kenya, and have to a larger extent maintained their traditional lifestyle. The "Il-Purko" Maasai live as pastoralists in the South of the country, to which they were moved from Central Kenya by the British Colonial Administration in 1904. The differences in lifestyle and assessment of health needs clearly are reflected in the plant knowledge of the study groups. The Samburu have retained a very large plant knowledge compared to the Maasai. The agricultural Kikuyu used the largest number of plant species.