Public Participation and Environmental Conservation in Bungoma County, Kenya
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Date
2025-05
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Public participation in environmental conservation entails the active engagement of individuals, communities and stakeholders in endeavors and decision-making procedures that are directed toward safeguarding and upholding the integrity of the natural environment. Sustainable environmental conservation encompasses various essential factors that are crucial to its effective implementation. The evidence in the literature review proves that there is deficient research on stakeholders' awareness to environmental dilemmas and their associations with environmental conservation in Kanduyi Constituency, Bungoma County, Kenya. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effect of public participation on the advancement of environmental conservation within Kanduyi Constituency. This study applied two theories; the theory of planned behavior and the deliberative democracy theory. The theory of planned behavior assessed how individuals’ behavioral intentions are affected by their subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behaviors while the deliberative democracy theory assessed the influence of deliberative democracy on decision making processes, policy outcomes and process legitimacy of environmental conservation initiatives. Piloting of 12 questionnaires at Bumula constituency, Bungoma using Cronbach’s Alpha test aided reliability testing. A mixed-methods methodology was applied. The research incorporated the use of structured questionnaires and interview schedules to gather data. A descriptive design was employed, with a sample size of 384 household heads and 1 county officer from the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), resulting in a total of 385 respondents. Data analysis encompassed a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including content analysis and statistical analysis techniques with the aid of SPSS. Prior to collecting data, the researcher received ethical clearance from Kenyatta University Graduate School which was later presented to National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI). Furthermore, the respondents were presented with clearance forms before data collection and their anonymity upheld throughout the process. The study's findings revealed that awareness of various stakeholders, consultation and collaboration were significant and positively related to environmental conservation outcomes. Most respondents were middle-aged adults with higher education levels, suggesting the importance of expanding coverage in age and education. Stakeholder awareness significantly influences environmental conservation efforts, as evidenced by the strong correlation between awareness levels and conservation outcomes (B = 0.692, Beta = 0.349, p = 0.001). The high mean scores for statements such as "Environmental conservation is essential for the long-term well-being of our community" (4.690, SD = 0.507) and "Conservation efforts are positively affected when stakeholders are involved in raising awareness of environmental issues" (4.577, SD = 0.691) highlight the perceived importance of environmental concern and its related measures. Stakeholders were thus understood to play a significant role in responding to consultations to foreshadow possible environmental problems and improve policies. On the other hand, the effectiveness of stakeholder consultations in policy implementation emerged as a contested area as reflected in the moderate mean score of 3.678 (SD = 0.632) and the standardized regression coefficient (B = 0.498), indicating some variability in stakeholder perceptions despite a statistically significant positive effect (B = 0.733, p = 0.005). Moreover, enhanced conjoint efforts with stakeholders were seen to strategically build support for environmental policies, stimulate innovations and coordinate and fund investments in sustainability projects. Based on the findings, the study recommends promotion of campaign awareness, strengthening of stakeholder consultation, improved collaboration and the development and evaluation of culturally-integrated, long-term stakeholder engagement frameworks for sustainable environmental conservation.
Description
A Research Project 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 Public Policy and Administration Kenyatta University, May 2025
Supervisor:
1.Heather Kipchumba