RP-Department of Environmental Studies and Community Development

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Analysis of woodfuel supply and demand balance in Kiambu, Thika and Maragwa districts in central Kenya
(Journal of Horticulture and Forestry, 2012-04-01) Githiomi, J. K.; Kung’u, J.B.; Mugendi, D. N.
This study was undertaken in Kiambu, Thika and Maragwa districts of Central Kenya and it aimed at developing micro-level wood energy plan that would act as a case study for future decentralized wood energy plans in Kenya. Primary data was collected from households, service/production institutions comprising of factories/industries, schools, restaurants, hospitals and prisons using structured questionnaires. The study established a deficit between supply and demand balance of -41.7, -45.6 and -50.1% of woodfuel in 2006 for Kiambu, Thika and Maragwa districts respectively. The strategies suggested in micro-level wood energy plans to curb these deficits include allocation of gazette plantation forest to fuel wood production, increase of improved stove technology, increase of on-farm tree land area and use of alternative energy sources. The combination of all these strategies gave a surplus of 22,903, 46,947 and 32,409 tons of woodfuel in Kiambu, Thika and Maragwa districts, respectively by 2018. The study recommended implementation of the identified strategies aimed at reducing the huge deficit between supply and demand, enhancing inter-institutional collaboration in all sectors related to wood energy development, developing clear policies to guide charcoal and firewood production and marketing and having regular wood energy surveys
Assessment of Beach Hotels Adaptation Capacity to Climate Variability : The Case of Mombasa County , Kenya
(Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA, 2014-02) Koske, James K.A.; Dzoga, M. N.
Climate change has been a worrying issue all over the world. The variability in terms of intensity and frequency of rainfall, wind, and temperature has impacted various ecosystems and economic activities especially in developing countries. Low lying coastal regions are vulnerable to the rise of sea level and storms. This affects the tourism economy which is a primary economic activity among the beach hotels in Mombasa County. In order to sustain tourism economy, the beach hotels need to cope with prevailing climate variability. This study, therefore, assessed the capacity of beach hotels to cope with climate variability in Mombasa County, Kenya. Chi-square analysis showed no significant difference on on-shore vegetation cover, rainwater harnessing and establishment of seawall barriers (P > 0.05). Strategies established by the beach hotels in Mombasa County were not effective to cope with climate variability thus are unable to sustain tourism economy during climate variability era.
Assessment of corporate management practices in public universities in Kenya
(International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 2013-05) Waswa, F.; Ombuki, C.; Migosi, J.
In order to continue attracting and retaining high-class intellectual power and hence guarantee quality service delivery, public university management will need to change and adjust in line with increasing local democratisation and globalisation pressures. Scenarios that depict participatory decision-making and respect of divergent viewpoints will have to characterize the relationships among all stakeholders in the routine operations of universities. The purpose of this study was to assess the Corporate Management Practices in Public Universities in Kenya from the academic staff’s perspective. A likert-scale approach based on 19 selected items in total quality management (TQM) was used for data collection from a random sample of 45 academic staff drawn from public Universities from August to September 2011. Findings show that university academic staff are generally marginalised when it comes to decision-making even on issues that directly affect them. Subtle top-down management approach is still rife and impacts negatively on service delivery. Deliberate efforts are needed to adopt a people-centred management system built on the tenets of mutual trust, respect and intellectual cum professional symbiosis in pursuit of sustainable quality assurance.
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.
Beyond Land Titling for Sustainable Management of Agricultural Land: Lessons from Ndome and Ghazi in Taita-Taveta, Kenya
(Kassel University Press, 2002) Waswa, F.; Eggers, H.; Kutsch, T.
This paper is based on a 1996-1999 case study that was done in semi-arid Ndome and Ghazi, Taita-Taveta District, in Kenya to determine the root causes of persistent erosion damage in the area. More than 10 years after land adjudication was done in these areas, more than 70% of the farmers still operate under tenure insecurity mainly due to lack of title deeds (r = 0.94**). Contrary to conventional expectation of land development, owning of land under private property rights was motivated by the sense of belonging, wealth, power and to some degree for speculative purposes. Adoption of structural soil and water conservation measures was still well below 50%. Preference was still given to indigenous land and water management (ILWM) technologies, with adoption rates ranging from 60% to more than 90%. No evidence existed that directly linked land improvement to land titling. For sustainable land management, land titling remains a critical incentive to farmers. However it will have to be accompanied by land use policy reforms that address four main issues, thus: deliberate efforts to preserve agricultural land, equitable distribution of available land, putting as much land as possible to agricultural use, and mechanisms to enhance prevention and control of land degradation. How these objectives can be achieved within the Kenyan context is the conceptual gist of this paper.
Combining Ethnography and Case Study Research Designs in Studying Forestry Co-Management Approaches
(ORIC Publications, 2014-07-31) Ming’ate, F.L.M.
The paper discusses how a combination of ethnographic and case study research designs can be appropriate in studying forestry co-management approaches and gives a step per step explanation of the methods that can be used for collecting data, ethical considerations, data analysis and selection of the interviewees in a combined ethnographic and case study research designs scenario to study forestry co-management approaches. It further shows how a researcher can take various decisions during field work when using the ethnographic and case study research designs scenarios to study forest co-management approaches in order to obtain as credible results as possible. It is concluded in the paper that a combination of ethnographic and case study research designs are suitable for studying forest co-management approaches. However, despite the widely acknowledged potential inherent in the ethnographic design, there is still hesitation in adopting and accepting ethnography as a mode of studying forest co-management approaches most properly because of the time required to study forestry co-management approaches
Communicating complexity: Integrated assessment of trade-offs concerning soil fertility management within African farming systems to support innovation and development
(Elsevier Ltd, 2010) Giller, K.E.; Tittonell, P.; Rufino, M.C.; Van Wijk, M.T.; Zingore, S.; Mapfumo, P.; Aldjei-Nsiah, S.; Herrero, M.; Chikowo, R.; Corbeels, M.; Rowe, E.C.; Baijukya, F.; Mwijage, A.; Smith, J.; Yeboah, E.; Van Burg, W.J.; Sanogo, O.M.; Misiko, M.; De Ridder, N.; Karanja, S.; Kaizzi, C.; Kung’u, J.B.; Mwale, M.; Nwaga, D.; Pacini, B.
African farming systems are highly heterogeneous: between agroecological and socioeconomic environments, in the wide variability in farmers’ resource endowments and in farm management. This means that single solutions (or ‘silver bullets’) for improving farm productivity do not exist. Yet to date few approaches to understand constraints and explore options for change have tackled the bewildering complexity of African farming systems. In this paper we describe the Nutrient Use in Animal and Cropping systems – Efficiencies and Scales (NUANCES) framework. NUANCES offers a structured approach to unravel and understand the complexity of African farming to identify what we term ‘best-fit’ technologies – technologies targeted to specific types of farmers and to specific niches within their farms. The NUANCES framework is not ‘just another computer model’! We combine the tools of systems analysis and experimentation, detailed field observations and surveys, incorporate expert knowledge (local knowledge and results of research), generate databases, and apply simulation models to analyse performance of farms, and the impacts of introducing new technologies. We have analysed and described complexity of farming systems, their external drivers and some of the mechanisms that result in (in)efficient use of scarce resources. Studying sites across sub-Saharan Africa has provided insights in the trajectories of change in farming systems in response to population growth, economic conditions and climate variability (cycles of drier and wetter years) and climate change. In regions where human population is dense and land scarce, farm typologies have proven useful to target technologies between farmers of different production objectives and resource endowment (notably in terms of land, labour and capacity for investment). In such regions we could categorise types of fields on the basis of their responsiveness to soil improving technologies along soil fertility gradients, relying on local indicators to differentiate those that may be managed through ‘maintenance fertilization’ from fields that are highly-responsive to fertilizers and fields that require rehabilitation before yields can improved. Where human population pressure on the land is less intense, farm and field types are harder to discern, without clear patterns. Nutrient cycling through livestock is in principle not efficient for increasing food production due to increased nutrient losses, but is attractive for farmers due to the multiple functions of livestock. We identified trade-offs between income generation, soil conservation and community agreements through optimising concurrent objectives at farm and village levels. These examples show that future analyses must focus at farm and farming system level and not at the level of individual fields to achieve appropriate targeting of technologies – both between locations and between farms at any given location. The approach for integrated assessment described here can be used ex ante to explore the potential of best-fit technologies and the ways they can be best combined at farm level. The dynamic and integrated nature of the framework allows the impact of changes in external drivers such as climate change or development policy to be analysed. Fundamental questions for integrated analysis relate to the site-specific knowledge and the simplification of processes required to integrate and move from one level to the next.
Community Development for Sustainable Environmental Conservation and Management in Kenya's Coast region
(2013) Obade, P.; Adongo, C.; Njuguna, S.
Kaya forests of the Kenyan Coast have long been regarded highly for their cultural heritage values as well as natural resources. Most of these Kayas are now inscribed as world heritage sites. While many forests in Kenya have undergone tremendous degradation, Kaya forests on the other hand, have been one of the best-conserved forests in Kenya owing to their sanctity and significance to the Mijikenda community (Githito, 1998). However, in recent times, (Adongo, 2007) this has changed as a result of global changes and challenges encompassing the social, cultural, economic, political as well as environmental aspects. It is interesting that the same people who initially conserved these forests, today show apathy towards their conservation and are indifferent towards sustainable utilization of this natural heritage resource, endowed with immense biodiversity values. Today, land use pressures compounded by the impacts of global changes and challenges threaten the existence of these unique forests. Again, the indigenous institutions mandated to control access to the forest resources have been weakened. Presently, almost 50% of the original area of the Rabai Kaya forests has been cleared (Nyamweru, 2007) and people continue to extract forest products from them on an unsustainable level. Have these sites lost their sacredness, or has demand for natural resources and environmental stress coupled with conservation and management regimes overridden the cultural heritage values that initially protected these forests? This paper examines the concept of functional integrity as a lens through which to view resource dynamics while illuminating its implication in the sustainability of natural resource.
Community Forest Associations Boundaries and Sustainable Forest Management in Loita Forest, Narok County, Kenya
(AJGR, 2023-10-20) Kiramba Lestan Kimiri, Felix L. M. Ming’ate and Eric M. Kioko
The Kenya Forest Act of 2005, subsequently revised in 2016, introduced the Kenya Forest Service and its mandate to engage in Participatory Forest Management (PFM) agreements with local communities adjoining state forests. This framework necessitated the establishment of Community Forest Associations (CFAs) nationwide, including the Loita Community Forest Association. However, a prevailing concern surrounding CFAs is the delineation and redefinition of boundaries, an issue that has gained prominence due to Kenya's decentralized forest governance system and the ambiguity surrounding the management of locally-held common resources. This study centers on investigating the process of establishing boundaries for the CFAs both in forest resources and the users within Loita Forest in Narok County, Kenya. Notably, Loita forest operates under a Traditional Participatory Forest arrangement, controlled by community elders, led by the revered Oloibon, who steers the resource utilization decisions. The vast expanse of Loita forest encompasses both lush woodlands and savanna landscapes. Employing purposive sampling, the study engaged 52 respondents from nine distinct Loita sub-locations. Key informants were interviewed individually, complemented with focus group discussions conducted with the use of semi-structured questions. Participant observation further enriched data collection, consolidating insights from key informants and group discussions. Collected data was meticulously tape-recorded and subjected to summative content analysis. The inquiry delved into the practicality of existing traditional resource-use boundaries, the adequacy of governmental regulations, policies, and institutions in elevating forest governance within Kenya, and the extent to which individual indigenous rights have been upheld in managing and using communal forest resources. Key findings of this study show that the Loita Maasai still values their traditional norms and have great respect for cultural institutions. Major decisions concerning the management of Loita forest are made by the council of elders led by the Chief Laibon. The study also found that there exists no CFA in Loita forest and that the presence of government institutions in the forest is minimal. This study's outcomes contribute to a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between indigenous wisdom, modern frameworks, and sustainable forest management. It underscores the indispensable role of tradition in shaping boundaries, governance, and ecological equilibrium within Loita forest and offers practical directives for future forest management endeavors.
Conflict Resolution and Crime Surveillance in Kenya: Local Peace Committees and Nyumba Kumi
(GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, 2017) Kioko, Eric Mutisya
In the wake of widespread interethnic “clashes” and al-Shabaab terrorist attacks in Kenya over the last few years, the state has embarked on the devolution of capacities for ensuring security and peace to the local level. The state gave the rights to handle specific local conflicts and crime prevention to local peace committees in an attempt to standardise an aspect of customary law, and to Nyumba Kumi committees in a strategy of anchoring community policing at the household level. These changes were conditioned and framed by ideas of decentralisation and the delegation of responsibilities from the state to the community level. In this paper, the following questions are raised: Are hybrid governance arrangements effective and appropriate? To what extent do peace committees and Nyumba Kumi provide institutional support for peaceful conflict management and crime prevention in Kenya? What guarantees and what constrains their success? The author draws on ethnographic data from the Maasai–Kikuyu borderlands near Lake Naivasha, a former hotspot of interethnic clashes.
Contributing to the cultural ecosystem services and human wellbeing debate: a case study application on indicators and linkages
(International Association for Landscape Ecology, Chapter Germany, 2017) Wangai, Peter Waweru; Burkhard, Benjamin; Kruse, Marion; Müller, Felix
Inadequacies in the indication of cultural ecosystem services (CES) are a hindrance in assessing their comprehensive impacts on human wellbeing. Similarly, uncertainties about the quantity and quality of CES, in real time and space, have hampered the ability of resource managers to precisely take responsive management actions. The aim of the study is to demonstrate, how CES indicators can be identified and qualified in order to link CES to human wellbeing, and to integrate them into the ‘ecosystem services cascade’ and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) models. A case study methodology is applied at the Nairobi-Kiambu (Kenya) peri-urban area. Primary data on CES was collected in the case study through survey, field observations and matrix tables. Secondary data originates from literature analysis. Results show that the participatory identification of CES and human wellbeing indicators could improve their transparency and comprehensibility. The environmental policy formulation and implementation processes have been demonstrated. The tripartite framework of CES-human wellbeing-DPSIR has demonstrated more linkages and feedbacks than initially indicated in the cascade model. For policy formulation and implementation, appropriate communication of results is mandatory. This is illustrated by a terminology that enables the transfer of scientific messages to stakeholders, especially for the local people. The conclusion indicates the importance of consistency in qualifying CES and human wellbeing indicators even at this time of urgency to bridge the gaps existing in CES and human wellbeing research.
Cooperation in the Midst of Violence: Land Deals and Cattle Raids in Narok and Laikipia, Kenya
(International African Institute, 2019) Gravesen, Marie; Mutisya Kioko, Eric
What drives the formation of ties and networks in ethnically hybrid spaces despite the occurrence of conflict? We approach this question by examining the actors involved, the institutions affected, and the economic and environmental contexts surrounding such tendencies. This study explores socially thick arrangements between Maasai and Kikuyu in Narok and their role in the non-violent use of formerly contested lands. In Laikipia, we examine how young Samburu and Kikuyu cooperate in a dangerous yet economically beneficial network involving cattle-rustling ventures. We revisit the history of land settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley, particularly in the study areas of Narok and Laikipia, and show how access and settlement rights to land are negotiated peacefully, encouraging ethnic assimilation and cooperative social and economic relations. Based on this context and the exploration of our case studies, we argue that the formation of alliances in multi-ethnic settings tends to override other identities when mutual benefits drive such associations.
Cross-cutting Ties and Coexistence: Intermarriage, Land Rentals and Changing Land Use Patterns among Maasai and Kikuyu of Maiella and Enoosupukia, Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya
(Stockholm University Press, 2015) Kioko, Eric Mutisya; Bollig, Michael
This paper explores the value of cross-cutting ties and conflicting loyalties for the peaceful management of conflicts and the emergence of collective action across previously violently contested community boundaries in two communities in the Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya. In the researched communities cross-cutting ties result from intermarriages, land rentals and friendship. Fieldwork was conducted in six neighbouring villages on the border between Nakuru and Narok Counties in 2013 and early 2014. Half of these villages fall within the Maiella Sub-location and the other half within Enoosupukia Location. Enoosupukia, especially, has become notorious in the history of ethnicised violence in Kenya’s Rift Valley. In October 1993 more than 20 farmers of Kikuyu descent were killed in an organised assault perpetrated by hundreds of Maasai vigilantes with the assistance of game wardens and administration police; later thousands of farmers were evicted from the area at the instigation of leading local politicians. Nowadays, intercommunity relations between Maasai and Kikuyu are surprisingly peaceful and the cooperative use of natural resources is the rule rather than the exception. How did formerly violent conflicts develop into peaceful relations? How did competition turn into cooperation facilitating changing land use? In this paper we explore the role of cross-cutting ties and the conflicting loyalties associated with them to explain changing community relations.
Defining Green Economy Aspects for Eco-Friendly Industrial Approaches; Their Linkages across the Sustainable Innovation Paradigm
(Academic Journals, 2022) Ngare, Innocent; Otieno, Dorcas; Omwami, Duncan; Ogutu, Emma; Opiyo, Lamech; Gikonyo, Salome; Otieno, Edwin
Green economy is a sustainable concept that has set the pace for industrial innovations across the globe. This is reflected in manufacturing, processing, and production industrial processes. There is a paradigm shift in the definition and understanding of green economy (GE) linkages to industrial symbiosis (IS), industrial ecology (IE) and clean development mechanism (CDM). We hypothesize in this study by responding to the question, "How is green economy defined in the model of eco-friendly industrial processes and their links to circularity? “We use systematic review design with the reporting system reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) and the Publish or Perish review tool for qualitative analytical synthesis. A total of (N = 1264) review articles were screened, and from the total, only (n = 56) articles were qualitatively synthesized. Based on previous research, we believe there are significant linkages and paradigms along the industrial symbiosis and circularity aspects. We conclude by recommending that research should explicitly inculcate incompatibilities of the green economy nexus on industrialization, the development of industrial policies that foster circularity and the combination of multiple solutions that inculcate sustainable innovations in industrial circularity
Designing a Functioning Community Forest Association: A Case of Muileshi, Kakamega County, Kenya
(Knowledgia Scientific, 2016) Ming’ate, F.L.M.; Letema, S.; Obiero, K.
Participatory Forest Management was introduced into law with the passing of the Kenya Forest Act of 2005, which provides a legal basis for communities in Kenya, to participate in forest management. In Kenya Participatory forest management entails the involvement of the forest adjacent community members through formation of Community Forest Associations, which participates in the management of the forest with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and other stakeholders. This paper examines the design and functioning of Muileshi community forest Association in Kakamega Kenya to answer a key question in current participatory forest management literature on how one can design a functioning community forest association that can conserve the forest resources as well as provide sustainable livelihoods to the poor forest dependent communities. The study utilized documents and a focus group discussion with Muileshi community forest association to answer this question. All the data collected was qualitatively analyzed by putting the key themes together from both the documents and focus group discussion and using them to answer the study objective. It is conclude in the study that a well designed community forest association can contribute significantly to the conservation a community based forest as well as deliver livelihoods to the communities adjacent to the forests that depend on them for their livelihoods. It is recommended that there is need to strengthen the community forest association arrangements to enable them operate efficiently.
Determination of Menopausal Influence on Work Productivity among Health Workers in Public Hospitals in Kiambu County, Kenya
(JOCAMR, 2024-08) Warutere, Peterson Njogu
Aims: Menopause is a normal process in women marked by a reduction in estrogen and progesterone levels and eventual cessation of menstruation. Despite many studies on menopause, influence of menopause on work productivity and performance are poorly documented. The study sought to established the influence of menopause on work productivity among health workers. In this study, menopausal women refer to those in either of the four stages associated with menopause. Study Design: The study adopted case-control study design. Methodology: A total of 478 women working in public hospitals in the study area and aged between 40-60 years were selected for study where 239 were the case study group with menopause related symptoms and the control group was 239 women who were in same age but had no menopause related symptoms. In total, those aged 40-45 were 139, while those aged 45-50 and 50-55 were each 124 in number and those aged 55-60 were 91 in number The study used mixed-methods approach; Simple random sampling was used to select study respondents while purposive sampling was employed in selecting 20 key informants. A semi- structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the study respondents while an interview guide was used to interview key informants. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze quantitative data. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, chi-square and regression analysis were used to analyze the quantitative data collected while thematic analysis of qualitative data using NVIVO software. Results: The findings show that menopause was associated with work absenteeism (χ2=21.549, p=0.001) and productivity impairment (χ2=76.979, p=0.001). Regression analysis showed that nervousness (p=0.005, df=1, OR=7.909), lack of concentration (p=.032, df=1, OR=4.608), breathing difficulties (p=0.010, df=1, OR=6.587) and anorexia (p=0.09, df=1, OR=6.880) increased work productivity impairment. Conclusion: Menopause impairs work productivity and increases work absenteeism. There is need for work places to adopt measures for supporting menopausal women to improve work productivity and to mitigate its adverse effects particularly, recognizing menopause as a workplace issue. This requires organizations to develop and institutionalize appropriate policies and staff support programs to support women during menopause transition and improve their work productivity.
Domestic Stock Age Profiles and Herd Management Practices: Ethnoarchaeological Implications from Maasai Settlements in Southern Kenya
(2005) Mutundu, K. K.
Age profiles of domestic stock from East African late Holocene archaeological sites have been used to make inferences regarding the advent and development of early pastoral economies ca 5000 to 2000 years ago. This ethnoarchaeological study among contemporary pastoral Maasai of southern Kenya was undertaken to examine the basis of these inferences in particular, and the interpretations that have been made regarding prehistoric herd management practices generally. Age profiles at the Pastoral Neolithic sites and those of contemporary Maasai settlements appear to be very similar. This supports the hypothesis that modes of subsistence and herd management practices at the prehistoric sites may have been closely similar to modern ones. Results also show that natural factors of mortality, rather than intentional culling contributed significantly to faunal accumulation on the Maasai settlements studied. I suggest that the reconstruction of prehistoric herd management on the basis of age profiles should consider the role of natural causes of mortality, and the possibility that intentional strategies of culling may play a more limited role in the formation of the zooarchaeological record than previously suggested.
Drivers, Institutional Arrangements and the Impact of Resource-based Conflicts on Communities’ Livelihood in the Tana Delta, Kenya
(IJSR, 2018-10) Said Abdulahi Omar , Ming’ate Felix Lamech Mogambi , Okeyo Benards
Drivers, institutional arrangements and their impacts of resource-based conflicts on communities’ livelihood is major concern in the current literature. The purpose of this paper is to: (i). find out the drivers of resource-based conflicts in the Tana Delta (ii). examine the organisational arrangement and the extent to which they influence resource based conflicts in the Tana Delta and (iii). examine the effects of resource-based conflicts on the communities’ livelihood strategies in Tana Delta. Descriptive survey method where semi-structured questionnares were administered was used to collect data. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with key informants. Data collection was guided by the needs and conflict theories. Anaysis was done using a combination of discriptive and content analysis. A number of drivers to resource based conflicts were found in Tana delta namely: scarcity of resources, political incitement, competition for resources,climate change,ethnic rivalry, human wildlife conflicts; institutional arrangements and gender related conflicts. Theresults also shows that there are well organized institutional arrangements for resource use conflict management. It was finally found that resource-based conflicts has impacts on the communities’ livelihood strategies. It is recommended that community conflict resources based drivers, institutional arrangements and resource-based conflicts are key in decreasing or increasing communities’ livelihood
Drought Related Impacts on Local People’s Socioeconomic Life and Biodiversity Conservation at Kuku Group Ranch, Southern Kenya
(International Journal of Ecosystem, 2012) Wangai, Peter; Muriithi, J.K.; Koenig, Andreas
The 2009 drought invokes painful memories to pastoralists and conservationists living and working in southern Kenya. The livestock economy predominant in the region was severely affected and wildlife was lost in large numbers. Death of livestock caused meat prices to increase rapidly while nature based tourism revenues decreased significantly due to wildlife deaths. This paper assesses the actual losses of both livestock and wildlife species at Kuku Group Ranch (KGR) during the 2009 drought and the subsequent homegrown socio-economic alternatives to adapt to the drought. The study conducted between late 2009 and early 2010 shows the actual losses for cattle, goats and sheep were significantly high at 84%, 77.8% and 72.8% respectively resulting into huge monetary losses. Key wildlife species central to nature-based tourism such as Zebra (Equus burchelli) and wildebeest (conochaetes taurinus) were severely affected by the drought where they died more than any other wildlife species in the area. The drought increased the livestock and herbivorous depredations by carnivores in the area. The study concludes that despite re-stocking in the case of livestock and re-introduction strategies in the case of wildlife, other sustainable alternatives for adaptation to droughts needed to be integrated to replenish the livestock and wildlife numbers to levels that can ensure stabilizing Maasai people’s livelihoods and also incomes from nature based tourism ecotourism.
Dynamics Shaping Rural Transformation in Rapidly Urbanising Rural Areas in Central Kenya
(PPP, 2024) Muriithi, Joseph K.
It has been observed that Africa is one of the fastest-urbanising continents. Over the last two decades, many rural areas in Central Kenya have witnessed considerable shifts towards urbanisation, which has affected many rural areas. This study explores the impacts of rapid urbanisation in rural Chaka town and its environs in Central Kenya, thus triggering the transformation of the entire landscape. The aim is to highlight the drivers shaping the transition to urbanisation in the case study town area. Using a qualitative research approach that used rapid rural appraisal techniques like transect walks and key informant interviews to collect data, the study reveals a trend towards increased land sub-division and real estate development in the Chaka area, which poses a challenge to traditional agricultural practices and an increase in non-farm activities, which indicates diversification of livelihood strategies by the residents as agricultural practices continue to face challenges, thus causing frustrations with farm-based activities and a decline in productivity. These findings reveal that the changing socioeconomic and environmental landscape in Chaka aligns to some extent with regional and national trends in the complex interactions between urban and rural areas. These findings imply that there is a need for policy interventions focusing on sustainable and balanced agricultural and urban development, the need for integrated land use planning, and skill development for liveable urban living in emerging urban and transformed rural areas.

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