Joy Apiyo Obando

Determinants of perceptions of climate change and adaptation among Turkana pastoralists in northwestern Kenya

There is a growing concern that climate variability and change, combined with other environmental, social and political pressures, may overwhelm resilience of pastoral systems if local adaptation strategies are not strengthened. Understanding pastoralists’ perception of and response to climatic change is necessary for sustainable adaptation strategies. Systematic and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 302 households in Turkana County of northwestern Kenya. Descriptive statistics and Heckman probit model were used to analyse the data obtained from the households interviews. The results show that majority of households’ perceive rise in temperatures and rainfall variability over the past three decades. Pastoralists’ perception of climate change was significantly (p<.05) associated with gender of the household head, livestock ownership, herd size and access to extension services. Heckmans sample selectivity probit model revealed that factors influencing pastoralists choices of climate change adaptation include gender and education level of the household head, household size, wealth in terms of livestock ownership, distance to markets, access to credit and extension services. We conclude that as a prerequisite for long-term commitment to households climate resilience, policies and programmes should aim at improving these factors.

Impact of Short-Term Flooding on Livelihoods in the Kenya Rift Valley Lakes

Short term flooding episodes can have devastating impacts on both the natural processes and community livelihoods. The Lakes Baringo, Bogoria, Nakuru and Naivasha lie within the arid and semi-arid northern part of the central rift valley in Kenya and are vulnerable to climatic variability with particular challenges related to water resources. This chapter presents the extent of flooding of four lakes in the central rift valley in Kenya over the period from January 2010 to December 2014. Documentation of the changing spatial extent of the water levels in the four lakes was conducted using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) digital techniques and information extraction and representation from selected Landsat satellite image data for the years 2010, 2013 and 2014. Results show an increase in the lake levels over the study period and the extent of flooded areas that is highly influenced by the geomorphology of the environs of the lakes. The rising lake levels have affected the ecology of the riparian areas of the lakes thus impacting on the biodiversity, wildlife, tourism infrastructure and the settlements around the lakes. The communities settled especially around Lake Baringo have been displaced and their livelihoods affected.

Sustainable Water Resources Management for Food Security in Kenya: Case of Bwathonaro Catchment

Food security is important in Kenya today. Bwathonaro sub-catchment in Tana catchment is experiencing food insecurity and severe water related challenges due to high population pressure and over-reliance on irrigated agriculture for livelihood. Bwathonaro river supports irrigated agriculture, which is a major source of livelihood for people in the watershed. These challenges include: water pollution, inappropriate solid waste disposal, illegal water abstraction and/or over-abstraction of water, inefficient irrigation practices, encroachment on and drainage of wetlands as well as inappropriate use of agrochemicals in wetlands. The specific objectives of the study were to 1) document current status of water resource use; 2) propose a strategy for enhancing subsistence food crop farming within the existing khat (miraa) farming system; 3) promote efficient irrigation systems that reduce water use conflict and enhance equitable distribution, and 4) work with community to improve water quality and quantity. The study adopted a four-pronged approach in the data collection procedures, namely: socio-economic surveys, participatory approaches, biophysical data and geospatial tools. Results showed that water use conflicts are persistent in the catchment. However, one Water Resource User Association (WRUA)-BWARUA, has shown consistent progress towards managing water resources for food security. The WRUA has undertaken a number of activities including ensuring that water abstractors observe permit conditions, undertaking surveillance of polluters, awareness creation on protection of wetlands, springs and river banks among other activities in the catchment. The impact of these activities has been positive and includes: reduction of conflict over water, reduction in pollution, more water flowing downstream and more water availability in the catchment for diverse uses including irrigation for agriculture, livestock and wildlife. Such practices could be used in other sub-catchments of Kenya as showcases to facilitate the sustainable use of scarce water resources for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Toward a Hydro-Economic Approach for Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning of Water Disasters in Semi-Arid Kenya

Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International, once declared: “Water is one of the most important ingredients for development and stability. Without access to basic water supplies, disease and ill-health, poverty, environmental degradation and even conflict may be the result – all of which lead, in turn, to greater water stress. Water-related conflict does not have to take on the attributes of war in order to be debilitating – it can fester between groups, ignite between neighbouring farmers or industrialists, and can cause loss of trust between people and their governments. When water conflict erupts between sovereign states, the victims may not perish on any clearly discernible battlefield, but the people and the watercourse itself will suffer the consequences of the absence of either co-operation or communication between those sharing a basin.” (Hartnady & Hay, 2004). This statement shows the whole importance of the science of management of water and related issues. In fact, scientists long ago sought to understand the process of water cycle. This understanding helped them monitor the changes in the quantity and the quality of water occurring through the fluxes of water from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth and underground, fluxes of solutes and sediments and the effects of gravity and radiation. Science based knowledge of these hydrological processes assisted in explaining and predicting water-related hazards, notably droughts, floods, tornadoes, cyclones, landslides, mudslides, etc. Yet, due to the high risk associated to environmental changes, traditional scientific postulates and models have become inadequate to controlling water disasters, particularly in the “Arid and semi-arid lands” (ASALs) (Brasington et al., 1998). Under the effect of population pressure on natural resources, water disasters tend to cause agricultural inefficiency resulting in food insecurity and poverty outreach in most ASALs (FAO, 1995; Shisanya, 1996; UNDP, 2007; World Bank, 2007). There is thus need for reviewing traditional premises, hypotheses and theorems of water disaster management to adapt them to environmental changes. Hydro-economic risk assessment offers a novel framework towards sustainable management of agricultural water disaster in ASALs. This study evaluates hydro-geomorphologic risks, and their social and economic impacts associated with farming water use in dry and marginal lands of Kenya. The risk assessment conducted in Muooni Dam Catchment of Kenya utilized an “hydroeconomic” procedure to assess the risks related to farming water and land use, and served