Abstract

This study is a continuation of previous research conducted in 2005 that focused on the transformation of Maasai culture and their adoption of entrepreneurship. The present study aims to investigate the factors that drive entrepreneurship in the Maasai community amidst the current disruptions, and how positive entrepreneurial motivations can be integrated into their traditional practices. The research employed social capital, institutional, and cultural theories to analyze the motivations for entrepreneurship. The researchers conducted 12 in-person qualitative interviews using a semi-structured format with entrepreneurs from all three Maasai territories (Kajiado, Laikipia, Narok-Transmara). The interviewees were individuals who had become entrepreneurs within the last two decades. While the results indicate that there has been progress in Maasai entrepreneurship, it still does not fit the Schumpeterian concept of creative destruction, which describes entrepreneurs’ disruption of existing economic structures through the introduction of new products, services, and business models. The Maasai community is undergoing significant changes due to factors such as climate change, urbanization, conservation of wildlife, religion, and education, which are driving them toward entrepreneurship and new ways of life. The study suggests the need for new theoretical thinking to inform the development of institutional structures to support this indigenous community in coping with climate change, biodiversity conservation, and land resource management.