ELAND's Founder and Director, Moses Kinayia - Moses' Story and Background on the Maasai People

Moses was born in the Ngong Hills of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. He has a Business Degree from Daystar University, Kenya, and is currently completing his Masters Degree in Public Administration at the Institute of Public Service, Seattle University.

He is the fourth born in a family of 36 in the Maasai tribe in Kewhere his father currently lives with five wives. His father is one of many nomadic herdsmen who keep livestock. The Maasai people are a community of nomadic herdsmen. The land they occupy is semi-arid and the climate is primarily suited for lowland animal rearing.

The Maasai economy is based on livestock production and is described as a pastoral economy. Cattle are the central focus of the economy because they provide milk and meat for sustainence; both are consumed by households and are not regarded as a commodity for trade. Blood from the animals is also occasionally consumed. 



At the moment, the Maasai live in the arid and semi-arid land only good for livestock keeping. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, the land has received insufficient rains. As a result, the Maasai have lost thousands of livestock. Due to recent prolonged drought and severe famine, Maasai resources are scare. Maasai refugees have inundated the land of their farming and hunting neighbors.

The current illiteracy level in the Maasai community and among the nomadic herdsmen is too high. Most people have not yet accepted education as a basic need for their children. Most are not aware of the benefits derived from acquiring an education. In Maasai land, polygamy is normal and accepted. It is believed that the more wives the better. Moses’ father is a polygamist who did not believe that daughters should attend school. He and his contemporaries believed that girls should grow up in the home, be trained in the art of homemaking, and then be married off.

For the misfortune of being born girls, Moses’ sisters and stepsisters could not attend school or choose to become whatever they wanted to become in life. Moses was opposed to his father's attitude but nevertheless recognized his father’s position as patriarch and community elder. The only recourse Moses had was his own persistence and persuasive argumentation. After a long time, his father agreed to take his sisters to school. Currently five of Moses’ sisters and seven of his brothers are enrolled in school. With that victory, Moses became even more convinced that with patience and persistence, the older generation could change their minds about the importance of education for all Maasai youth—girls included. Moses has also attained a college education due to the support of Seattle ELAND board member Melissa Denmark and family. For that he is deeply grateful.

Moses was inspired by his concern for and experience working with poor and marginalized people. Maasai people are often discriminated against, abused, and at times perceived as backwards or untouchable. Stigmatized, they shy away from and fear public appearances and active participation in development programs that could improve their livelihood. Such communities face unique problems that cannot be handled as part of a grand national agenda. Rather, specific and strategic initiatives by ELAND and the new Maasai leadership provide a framework within which local communities could be assisted to improve their own lives.

Being the first to go to school in his family, (literally running away from home with a desire for education), Moses has a great interest in responsibility and accountability. His dream lies in expanding the work of ELAND, reducing poverty and improving the economic future of his community, and networking with other non-governmental organizations in developing countries to ensure accountability and promote socio-economic growth.