Socio-Economic Role of Donkeys among the Residents of Pate Island, Lamu District of the Kenyan Coast, Kenya

Abstract

Donkeys play an important role in rural economies particularly in provision of draught power in developing countries. The study that yielded this information was multidisciplinary in nature and sought to understand the position of donkeys among the residents of Pate Island in Lamu, Kenya. Special focus was directed to establishing the role played by these equines amongst the communities residing on the Island and constraints faced by communities in the course of keeping and utilization of these animals. The methods of data collection that were employed to collect data included questionnaire survey (96 respondents), five key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions. The results indicate that the donkey plays important socio-economic and religious roles amongst the residents of Pate Island and concludes that the equines play a non-alienable role in the peoples' lives.