Young Kuria of Tanzania: What Drives them to Choose Army Careers

Authors

Hezron ZACHARIA OnditiFollow

Abstract

Although there are many career opportunities in the world of work, some groups have been historically inclined to particular professions. Young males of Tanzania’s Kuria tribe have long been known to have preference for a career in the armed forces. This paper examines what drives them to choose an army career. The field work for the paper was conducted in Tarime district of the Mara region where Tanzania’s Kuria population is largely concentrated. The analysis is based on the theoretical framework developed by the theory of planned behaviour in terms of which the intention of the individual human actor is postulated to be a function of three variables: perceived behavioural control, pressure from the significant-others, and attitude. The findings of the paper will help to shed light on the more mundane issues in the specific domain (say, those concerned with the career counselling of the Kuria youth), as well as raise a broader range of questions in the field. Illustratively: why is a particular ethnic group numerically in favour of an army career? What explains this phenomenon? Does such dominance exercise any influence on inter-ethnic relations or elsewhere? What measures might be devised to secure greater representation in the armed forces from the country’s other ethnic groups?

Recommended Citation

Onditi, Hezron ZACHARIA (2012) "Young Kuria of Tanzania: What Drives them to Choose Army Careers," Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 1 : No. 1 , Article 1.
Available at: https://doi.org/vlm1.6