Implications of Gender Relations on Forest Management among the Indigenous Ogiek of Mau Forest in Nakuru County, Kenya.
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Date
2024-06
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
This study aimed at interrogating the implications of gender relations among indigenous Ogiek on management of Mau Forest in Nakuru County, Kenya to guide gender mainstreaming in forest management. The objectives of the study included identifying the traditional gender division of labour among the indigenous Ogiek of Mau Forest, examining the extent to which the Forest Policy 2014 and Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016 integrates gender concerns in forest management, examining how women participation in forest management promotes gender equality and discussing the implications of the study findings on gender mainstreaming in forest management. The study employed cultural ecofeminist theory which captures relationship between women and the earth, comparing how women and nature are subordinated by men in patriarchal society. The study used descriptive survey study design, with purposive and systematic random sampling methods to choose sixty-seven respondents from the community forest associations (CFAs) within the Mau ecosystem. Data from the indigenous Ogiek residents were collected using questionnaires while key-in-depth interview schedule was used to collect data from Ogiek village elders, Kenya Forest Service Officers, and area chief. Test-retest method was used to test reliability of study instruments. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analysed establishing patterns, categories, and themes. Study findings were presented in percentages, graphs, charts, and tables. The findings showed that there exists traditional gender division of labour underprivileged by Ogiek patriarchal social structure which influences forest management among indigenous Ogiek of Mau Forest. The findings further revealed that the forest legal framework in Kenya especially the Kenya Constitution 2010, Forest Policy 2014 and Forest Act 2016 are gender blind. The study recommends that CFAs to adopt various affirmative strategies including quotas in certain positions to improve women’s participation in CFAs while considering cultural constraints limiting their participation.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Gender and Development Studies of Kenyatta University June, 2024
Supervisors:
1. Geraldine K. Musyoki
2. J. Otiato Wafula