Browsing by Author "Kariuki, David Mugendi"

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    Assessment of land use/land covers changes linked to oil and gas exploration: Developments under changing climatic conditions in Lokichar Basin, Turkana County
    (Laboratory of Land Use Mobility and Environment, 2020) Kariuki, David Mugendi; Mireri, Caleb; Kibwage, Jacob; Oyoo, Daniel
    Understanding land use/land cover changes(LU/LC) linked to oil and gas exploration under changing climatic conditions in South Lokichar Basin is crucial.This knowledge will inform policy makers on appropriate sustainable vegetation cover management strategies for the sake of pastrolism practiced in the area.The LU/LC changes were assessed using multi-spatial and multi-temporal remotely sensed imageries acquired through Landsat 5TM and Landsat 8OLI/TIRS by use of ArcGIS.The study assessed medium resolution spatial imageries acquired for the area in both rainy and dry seasons,before oil and gas exploration developments begun in South Lokichar Basin between 2006-2011 and after commencement between 2012-2017.The study established that the average area in hectares under vegetation cover had declined since oil and gas exploration developments begun.A one sample t-test statistics indicated that the area under forest,shrubland and grassland cover had significantly reduced at 90% confidence interval with a p-value of 0.072,0.074 and 0.061 respectively.The study established a decline in NDVI from 1 to 0.433 for the rainy season and 0.411 to 0.122 for the dry season between 2006 and 2017 with a p-value of 0.009 <0.05 on paired t-test implying a significant change on vegetation cover.Sustainable management of vegetation cover is important to safeguard livestock forage.
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    Towards development of effective policies and regulationsfor sustainable off-grid solar electronic waste managementsystems in Kenya
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2023-10) Kariuki, David Mugendi; Mireri, Caleb Ombuor; Enevoldsen,Martin Korch
    Off-grid solar systems provide clean and affordable energy sources. Adoption of off-grid Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular in Kenya as a source of renewable energy, with an estimated 10 million people using off-grid solar power systems as of the end of year 2022. However, the rising off-grid solar systems technology uptake comes with a growing amount of solar e-waste, which can have harmful environmental and health effects if not managed properly. Current data on the exact amount of solar e-waste being generated in Kenya is unavailable and this amount will continue to rise with the expiry of many of these off-grid solar systems lifespans. This study through stakeholder’s workshop and document review data collection and analysis approaches, established that Kenya just like many countries in the Global South has a robust general waste policy and regulation management framework. However, it lacks specific policies and regulations on off-grid-solar electronic waste management a challenge that many countries in the Global North have made considerate steps in addressing. In addition, there is a lack of awareness of the hazardous nature of off-grid solar systems’ e-waste components to both consumers and institutions of governance. There is a lack of adequate infrastructure and sufficient systems for off-grid solar e-waste management in the country. Enforcement and implementation challenges of the existing general waste regulations due to limited resources and capacity and corruption culture are major impending factors. This calls for the development of effective policies and regulations to ensure sustainable off-grid solar e-waste management in Kenya against the backdrop of the rising uptake of off-grid solar systems.