This article examines how rural roads relate to differences in livelihood patterns, attitudes toward social change, and land disputes in Baringo, Kenya. Although their direct use is limited for many residents, roads have a highly differentiating impact. While some households orientate themselves toward roads, those relying more on (agro-)pastoralist livelihoods avoid their proximity. Our findings suggest that better-off households are not the only ones that tend to live closer to roads, but that poorer households do as well. Rather than by socio-economic status, households living closer to roads can be characterized by higher degrees of formal education and also appear to be more open to economic and social change. Our data also highlight dynamics of land disputes in the face of ongoing large-scale infrastructural investments in Kenya’s previously marginal northern drylands.

本文研究了肯尼亚道路上乡村道路如何与生计模式差异，对社会变革的态度以及土地纠纷之间的关系。尽管许多居民无法直接使用它们，但道路的影响却截然不同。尽管有些家庭将自己定位在道路上，但更多地依靠（农业）牧民生活的家庭则避免了他们的接近。我们的发现表明，富裕的家庭并不是唯一倾向于靠近道路的家庭，但较贫穷的家庭也是如此。生活在离道路较近的家庭而不是社会经济地位，可以以较高的正规教育为特征，并且似乎更容易受到经济和社会变革的影响。