http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/202 2026-04-06T11:36:50Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2571 The Application of Integrated Water Resource Management Principles in Urban Kenya: The Case of Kapsabet Town Chemutai, Janet; Daudi, Fatuma; Nge’tich, K. Job Water is life, as societies need sufficient amount of it to drive their economic and social development. The environment needs water too for its ecological functions. Water issues like shortages and supply deficits are every day challenges that call for an integrated approach to its management taking into account stakeholder participation, institutional integration and catchment protection. The study examined the application of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) principles in Kapsabet town. Kapsabet town has experienced water shortage due to increasing urban migration, setting up of industries and businesses like hotels that require water in their day-to day running of the activities. A sample of 384 respondents obtained from both simple random sampling and purposive sampling were drawn from 12 administrative locations were randomly selected from Emgwen and Chesumei sub-counties for interviews and counterchecked by key informant interviews. The target population was household-holds, business people and officers from county government of Nandi, National Environment Management Authority and Water Resources Authority. The results obtained from data collection were analysed using frequencies and percentages. The research instruments were tested using Test-retest reliability and content validity. The study established that there was water shortage in the study area as pointed out by 68% of the respondents at the backdrop of a high demand for water as 45% of the respondents indicated they would use 70 litres of water per day per person. The sources of water in the study area were; river, borehole, rain- water and piped- water out of which the first three sources were easily available and accessible. In addition, the components of IWRM practised in Kapsabet Town involved stakeholder participation whereby public meetings on water management were done twice per year according to zones. The National Environmental Management Authority and Water Resources Authority institutions are involved in water conservation initiatives. A major factor that supports IWRM practice is the issue of water resource information management system facilitated by Kapsabet/Nandi water supply Company. The IWRM challenge cited was inadequate funding to support water management activities. The study concludes that full implementation of IWRM in Kapsabet Town is yet to be achieved a result of inadequate funding to improve water infrastructure to increase in water supply to Kapsabet residents and hence the need to increase funding towards water resources management. 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2570 Significance of Carbon Farming for Improved Household Incomes in Baringo County, Kenya Kiprop, John; Sumukwo, Joel; Odwori, Paul Baringo County experiences high poverty rates of 40 percent which is above national rates of 36 percent. Climate change has aggravated this by negatively impacting farm productivity especially because of the high dependency on farming. Despite this, sustainable carbon farming is with potential of generating income through carbon trade. This study analysed the significance of agroforestry in generating carbon incomes among households in the county. It used survey data of 380 households collected mainly through stratified random sampling. The two sub-counties of Eldama Ravine and Baringo central were chosen for this study because of their ecological diversity, economic significance, and vulnerability to climate change. The results showed majority (56%) of the smallholder farmers had very low awareness on carbon farming and selling of carbon credits. In spite of this, a majority (90%) of them had implemented farming activities that would meet the threshold for carbon trading. Among the 90% of respondents that practiced carbon farming, a majority of them (43%) practiced exotic and indigenous tree agroforestry, and 37% did fruit farming agroforestry. Results also indicate that the area provides an annual carbon sequestration of approximately 25,982.2 tCO₂e/ year, translating to an annual carbon income of 259,822 USD/year (KSh. 33,776,860), or USD. 56.98 (KSh. 7,407.4) per month. In conclusion, carbon farming and trading presents potential tangible income to smallholder farmers in Baringo County. This study recommends for improved sensitization of farmers on carbon farming and its potential in enhancing household incomes. 2025-05-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2569 Analysing The Factors Influencing Climate Information for Improved Carbon Farming Among Smallholder Farmers in Baringo County, Kenya Kiprop, John; Sumukwo, Joel; Odwor, Paul Smallholder agriculture has been a mainstay of livelihoods in Baringo County for decades, but due to climate change effects, it’s dependency is extremely challenged. Using survey data of 380 households collected using stratified random sampling, factors influencing climate information for improved carbon farming among smallholder farmers were analysed. Eldama Ravine and Baringo central sub-counties were chosen for the study because of their ecological diversity, agribusiness significance, and vulnerability to climate change. Results revealed that the best media to use in sharing climate information in Baringo county was television (78%) while the least was newspapers (0.3%), probably because of affordability of newspapers. Gender influenced awareness and access to climate information since that male (64%) had higher awareness and access than female (55%). it was also noted that Most (89%) of the respondents agreed and strongly agreed that accessibility of smallholder farmer to agricultural extension services played important role in accessing climate information. ANOVA and Multiple regression (R2 , 0.54) results displayed age(B = -0.44,p = 0.104), gender(B = 0.014, p = 0.048), education level(B = 0.021, p = 0.058), and household income(B = 0.062, p = 0.007) were significant in influencing climate information. This study concludes agricultural extension information to be important in accessing climate information and the need of empowering women in farm decision-making. It is recommended that gender-sensitive approaches be incorporated into agricultural extension services to empower women in decision-making and bridge the gender gap in climate information access. 2025-05-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2550 Spatio-Temporal Changes in Land Use and Land Cover in Kipkunurr Forest and Its Adjacent Landscapes, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya Jepkoech, Gladys; Sang, Catherine Chebet; Ngetich, Job Kipkurgat The essential status of forests for climate control and biodiversity protection together with supporting local subsistence requires tracking their spatial and temporal patterns. The process of studying land use and land cover dynamics provides fundamental information for proper forest conservation practices along with sustainable resource management schemes. This study focused on spatial-temporal land use and land cover assessment of Kipkunurr Forest and adjacent landscapes in Kenya during the period from 1995 to 2024. The need is to identify the causes behind forest cover changes together with their conservation consequences. Data was collected using remote sensing, household surveys, and key informant interviews. A GIS process applied supervised classification methods to multi-temporal Landsat 5 images (1990, 2004), Landsat 7 images (2014), and Landsat 8 images (2024) to conduct land use land cover changes and change detection analysis. The examined forest data reveals Kipkunurr Forest lost about 12,702 hectares of its original 30,053 hectares during the 1995 to 2004 period due to agricultural development, illegal logging, and settlement expansion. A minimal forest recovery took place fro m 2014 through 2024, where forest area expanded to about 19,345 hectares. The recovery stems from enhanced conservation rules, reforestation programs, and decreased human encroachment. Shrubland and grassland areas rose slightly while forest areas improved during this period despite ongoing human pressure in activities like firewood collection, illegal logging, and grazing. Geospatial technology use for forest monitoring reveals both the benefits of tracking changes effectively and supports the immediate requirements for integrated forest conservation approaches. The study brings evidence-based findings which help guide local policies and community participation toward sustainable forest practices in the important water catchment areas such as Kipkunurr. 2025-05-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2549 Land Use and Cover Change Patterns in Lower Moiben Sub-County Catchment Area, Kenya Koech, Jemutai Mercy; Sang, Catherine Chebet; Daudi, Fatuma Abdi The changes in land use patterns in Lower Moiben Sub-County catchment area are examined in this study, with a focus on the change between 1995 and 2024. Major land use changes have occurred in the Sub-County catchment area because of socio-economic developments, farming activities, and increased population. Changes in land use that result from the conversion of forests to agricultural land, especially for livestock grazing and increased crop lands, growth of built areas, among others, have affected water supplies and hydrological balance for communities within the catchment. The study used GIS and remote sensing data to assess land use patterns over time and space and also household interviews to understand the observed land use changes. The results shows that there is expansion of croplands (from 51.48% to 77.67%) and built areas (from 0.80% to 4.21 %). Some had slight increase in general, such as, forests (30.53% to 31.22%) and rangeland (12.69% to13.65%) though it is reduction from previous years. The results shows how human activity affects land use/land cover change (LULCC), indicating that whereas certain changes such as increase in built areas mean better development, others changes such as reduced forests may lead to water scarcity. These findings shows that efficient land use management are required in the catchment. These results are useful to policymakers, local communities, and environmental organizations who are strategizing on balancing between development and sustainable land use practices. 2025-05-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2508 Modeling the Impact of Landscape Dynamics on Soil Erosion in Eastern DR Congo: Implications for Sustainable Land Management Nteranya, Jean Nacishali; Kiplagat, Andrew; Ucakuwun, Elias K.; Nzabandora, Chantal Kabonyi Human activity and related land-use/land cover (LULC) changes are the primary causes of accelerated soil erosion during the 21st century. However, there is limited information about the spatiotemporal dynamic of soil erosion under diferent conditions of LULC changes in mountainous regions of eastern DR Congo. In addition, the impact of landscape structure on soil erosion dynamics has not been assessed yet in this region despite that this information is crucial for sustainable land management. Terefore, the Kalehe territory which is subjected to an upsurge of hydroclimatic risks (erosion, landslides, and fash foods) was used as a case study. Te revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) modeling was integrated into the GIS environment to assess the synergy between the spatiotemporal changes of LULC and the dynamic of soil loss by erosion during the 1987–2020 period. Te historic LULC maps were obtained through the supervised classifcation of Landsat images. Te relationship between the annual soil loss and the landscape characteristics was assessed using the Pearson correlation, principal component analysis, and multiple linear regression model. Te results demonstrated that the soil erosion rate has increased over time from 32.08 t/ha/year in 1987 to 44.35 t/ha/year in 2020 due to the changes in landscape structure and composition. Te landscape metrics, which signifcantly infuenced the erosion dynamics with composition indices, collectively explained 60.9%, while the landscape structure metrics explained 34.89% of annual soil erosion rate variability in the best ft developed models. Te increase in soil erosion is positively infuenced by the deforestation, landscape diversity, and land fragmentation but negatively infuenced landscape complexity (irregularity of patch’s shape) and patch size. Tese fndings highlight the need for landscape-level management strategies to mitigate soil loss in Eastern DR Congo, emphasizing the importance of maintaining forest cover, preserving larger patches, reducing fragmentation, reducing the landscape diversity, and encouraging complex patch shapes. 2025-03-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2498 Land use/land cover (LULC) changes modeling and susceptibility mapping using the binary logistic regression at the territorial level in eastern DR Congo Nteranya, Jean Nacishali; Kiplaga, Andrew; Ucakuwun, Elias K.; Nzabandora, Chantal Kabonyi The Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes are commonly used to determine the landscape conditions and have significant impacts on the earth's surface processes. During the last three decades, there has been an acceleration of LULC changes in Eastern DR Congo. However, there is no comprehensive overview of the drivers of these changes at the territorial level in this region, even though the knowledge of these drivers is important for land use planning and spatial modeling of environmental changes. Using the Kalehe Territory as a case study, this work sought to fill this gap by analyzing the drivers of LULC changes during the 1987-2020 period. A mixed approach combining remote sensing, Geographic Information System, and logistic regression modeling was used. The results indicated that the prominent LULC changes in the study area are deforestation, built-up area expansion, cropland expansion, and shrubland expansion. These changes are significantly influenced by biophysical factors (slope, altitude, and soil type), conservation zoning, population dynamics, and accessibility factors at different levels. The occurrence of conservation zones decreases the susceptibility to deforestation, built-up land, and cropland expansions. In contrast, the proximity factors (distance to road, artisanal mining, and locality) increase the susceptibility to LULC changes. These factors can be integrated into spatial models to forecast LULC changes susceptibility in this region. Furthermore, the establishment of future land use management policy at the territorial level in eastern DR Congo should be space-specific as the susceptibility of LULC changes shows a spatial trend 2024-07-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2480 Spatio-Temporal Land Use Land Cover Changes in Moiben River Watershed (1990–2021) and Impacts on Hydrology Rotich, Kipkemoi Felix; Mwasi, N. Ben; Kigen, Charles; Opata, Pancras Grephas This paper investigates the spatio-temporal changes in land use and land cover (LULC) and their hydrological implications in the Moiben River Watershed, Kenya, from 1990 to 2021. Remote sensing and GIS tools were used to map LULC for 1990, 2005, and 2021, while hydrological simulation was conducted using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The findings show that land use and land cover in the Moiben River watershed shifted significantly between 1990 and 2021. Over this period, agricultural land increased by 78.7%, primarily at the expense of natural forests, grasslands and bushlands, which declined by 40.9%, 38.8%, and 38.4% respectively. Hydrological modeling reveals a strong connection between these LULC changes and river flow dynamics. A simulated scenario converting 50% of agricultural land back to plantation forest demonstrated a beneficial impact on the watershed's hydrology, increasing dry-season base flow and moderating wet-season peak flows. These results suggest that LULC changes, particularly agricultural expansion, have significantly altered hydrological responses in the watershed. Sustaining the watershed’s ecological and hydrological integrity therefore requires integrated land management that balances agricultural production with conservation, supported by strong policy action and collaborative engagement among government agencies, communities and conservation partners 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2479 Modeling Future Scenarios for Moiben River Flow Using SWAT and CA-Markov: Implications for Sustainable Watershed Management Rotich, Kipkemoi Felix; Mwasi, N. Benjamin; Kigen, Charles; Opata, Grephas Pancras This study utilized an integrated Cellular Automata–Markov (CA–Markov) and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling approach to forecast the hydrological response of the Moiben River watershed to future land use and climate scenarios for the year 2055, recognizing the river's critical role in regional water supply. The CA–Markov model, informed by historical LULC trends between 2005 and 2021, projected a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario characterized by dominant agricultural expansion (covering over 71% of the area) at the expense of crucial Natural Forest and Grassland covers. Subsequently, the SWAT model, calibrated and validated for the watershed and forced by the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP 6.0) climate scenario, simulated the corresponding changes in river flow. The simulation results revealed a statistically significant destabilization of the river’s flow regime (p<0.001) compared to the 2021 baseline, confirming a critical loss of the watershed's natural regulatory capacity. The projected hydrological shifts indicate a future defined by extreme variability: severe dry-season flow deficits revealing critically diminished baseflow and groundwater recharge evidenced by declines exceeding 60% in November and 52.91% in December. This scarcity is contrasted by a sharp, short-lived amplification of peak flows (a 52.83% surge in August), indicating a transformation into a flashier system primarily driven by increased surface runoff from the degraded landscape. The study provides quantitative evidence that LULC change is the primary driver of increased flood flashiness and water scarcity, posing significant threats to water security, domestic supply, and ecological health. Consequently, this research validates that proactive, scenario-based hydrological modeling is an indispensable tool for designing adaptive land use governance and conservation policies aimed at mitigating future hydrological stress in the Moiben River watershed. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://41.89.164.27:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2434 Gender Dynamics Affecting Bamboo Adoption and Commercialization in Busia and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties, Kenya Kaino, Jelagat Joyce; Kiptui, Mark; Saina, Christopher The objective of this study was to evaluate gender dynamics affecting Bamboo adoption and commercialization in Busia and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties in Kenya. The study was guided by Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (SRL) frameworks and utilized mixed methods research design. The target population was 59,242 households living in Butula and Keiyo South. Yamane (1967) sample size formula was used to obtain a sample size of 398 households from both study areas. Data was collected using structured questionnaire for households and interview schedules for key informants. Households were sampled using Simple random sampling while key infomants were sampled using purposive sampling method. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages and means, were calculated to summarize demographic and utilization patterns. The study found that gender dynamics significantly shape bamboo adoption and commercialization in Busia and Elgeyo Marakwet. Decision-making is largely dominated by male household heads, with 51.3% of decisions made solely by men and only 8.3% by female heads. Joint decision-making accounted for 40.5%, though women’s influence remained limited. Despite an average of 56.2% of respondents reporting that both genders participated in bamboo-related activities such as training, planting, harvesting and marketing men were more involved across all tasks. Women’s participation was affected by limited access to land and finance, with land access being the primary barrier in both counties. In Elgeyo Marakwet, women also faced limited technical knowledge and decision-making power. For men, barriers included lack of access to finance, limited training, and competing responsibilities. Most respondents (83.9%) reported minimal government support for gender parity in bamboo adoption. Support needs identified included access to land, finance, and gender-sensitive training, with targeted financial support for women emerging as the top policy recommendation. The study recommends that gendersensitive training courses need to be carried out to empower every household member to efficiently use bamboo in addition to supporting the activities where women can ead bamboo processing or marketing operations. Involving men and women in activities connected to bamboo will help to guarantee fair access 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z