WATER, RULES AND GENDER - WATER RIGHTS IN AN INDIGENOUS IRRIGATION SYSTEM, MARAKWET, KENYA

The management of indigenous irrigation systems has received increasin g attention both from social science researchers and from those develo pment agents who seek to change them, or to find in them a model for o rganizing newly developed irrigation schemes. This article discusses h ow water is allocated within one such irrigation system, the hill furr ow irrigation of the Marakwet escarpment in Kenya. It describes the 'f ormal rules' of water rights, giving particular attention to the issue of gender with respect to water rights. It then discusses the 'workin g rules' relevant to water allocation, involving various informal prac tices of sharing, buying and stealing. The implications of this comple xity for understanding the operation of indigenous farmer-managed irri gation systems are examined.