Cultural Determinants of Household Decision Making among the Nandi Community in Kenya

Despite household decision making being a critical input for household socio-economic development, it seems to be taken for granted in most situations. Among the Nandi community, households seem to lag behind and score poorly in terms of their social and economic conditions despite having the necessary resources to propel them into better development indicators. This paper is an outcome of a study that was carried by the authors to examine cultural factors that influenced household decision making among the Nandi community. The targeted population were all households in Maraba Location, Nandi South Constituency. A sample size of 174 households participated in the study and were selected either purposively or by simple random sampling. Data was collected by an interview schedule and in-depth interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis were employed. It was found that cultural beliefs (154, 88.5%), cultural expectations concerning men and women (141, 79.9%), traditions and customs (29, 74.1%) affected household decision making process. Household headship (156, 89.7%) and responsibility were vested in men (170, 98.2%). Male-dominated decisions regarding ownership of property like land (116, 66.7%), livestock farming (115, 66.1%) and leadership (123, 70.7%). Women dominated decisions regarding the kitchen (125, 71.8%) and care of girls (72, 38%). the study concluded that cultural factors had a positive effect on household decisions and determined who was to be the household head, the decision-making process, as well as the types of decisions taken. The study recommended the need to embrace collective decision-making strategies and for civic education to promote cultural practices that enhanced socio-economic development and refute those that were retrogressive.