School of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies

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    Application Of Hydrological Models In Poorly Gauged Watersheds: A Review Of The Usage Of The Soil And Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) In Kenya
    (International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 2017-08) Mwangi, Wambugu; Nyandega, Isaiah; Kıthiia, Shadrack
    In water-scarce developing countries, river basins are some of the most valued natural resources, but many are poorly gauged and have incomplete hydrological and climate records. In the recent years, tropical rivers are increasingly becoming erratic, with many hydrologists attributing this variability to combined effects of landscape-specific anthropogenic activities and climate change. Uncertainties about the impacts of climate change compound the challenges attributed to poor and often inconsistent river monitoring data. Under data-scarce conditions and with the increasing land use intensification and urbanization, modelling approaches become a useful tool in planning and management of water resources. In this paper, we review the application and usability of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model in conventional planning practice in the management of water resources is poorly-gauged tropical watersheds of Kenya. We assess the technical implications of the model in Intergrated Water Resources management (IWRM) and its applicability as a planning and management tool for water resources in the era of climate change
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    Climate Change Perception Among the Pastoralist Women in Narok County
    (Academic Research International, 2018-03) Mashara, Janet Naisoi
    With regards to the effects of climate change, Kenya has identified its ASALs as the most vulnerable areas to climate change with huge impacts on livestock rearing, small-holder agriculture and tourism, which are the dominant sources of livelihoods in these areas. Despite their limited ownership, women control most of the productive livelihoods including land and livestock. Despite the role played by women in livelihood activities, the attention given to them is still insufficient. More importantly is their vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change. For appropriate national and county climate change adaptation strategies to be formulated, it is imperative to establish already existing mechanisms which are likely to form basis for some entry points. This study was aimed at assessing the perception of climate change and the response strategies of the pastoralist women in Narok County. A sample of 51 respondents was used and data analyzed qualitatively through content analysis. The findings revealed that a majority of the women are aware of climate change and its effects. There are a number of livelihoods embraced by women as adaptation strategies.
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    Assessing Climate Variability Adaptation and Coping Strategies Among Rural Households in Kenya.
    (Journal of Water Sciences & Environment Technologies, 2018) Musyimi, Peter Kinyae; Nduru, Gilbert M; Huho, Julius M; Opiyo, Francis E
    The aim of this study is to assess the adopted water scarcity adaptation and coping strategies of rural households to climate variability. It also identifies suitable strategies that minimize the impact of climate variability on water sources in arid and semi-arid (ASALs) in Kenya. The study was carried out in Makindu Sub-county, Makueni County, Kenya. Data collection techniques such as questionnaires and in-depth interview with 370 households, key informants interviews were used to assess the adaptation and coping strategies of rural households and identify the most suitable strategies for the study area. Rainfall data was collected from Makindu Meteorological station and used for meteorological drought characteristics analysis. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to analyze drought severity in the study area between 1980 and 2011. SPI was used to quantify precipitation deficit for various time scales. Drought Intensity (DI) was used to determine decadal drought intensities. SPI results showed that 18 years out of 31 with negative SPI values an indication of drought severity occurrence. The year 2005 was the driest in the area with an SPI of -1.76. The study also showed increasing drought intensities from 1990s to 2000s. The study showed that the rural households had adopted varied adaptation and coping strategies to cope with impact of drought extremes on water sources. However, increase in drought characteristics occurrences minimized their resilience and adaptive capacities. The study observed that the strategies employed are unlikely to enable them cope with recent climate change and variability regimes, therefore need for most suitable and viable ones. The study identified viable strategies such as rainwater harvesting and sinking boreholes as long term measures that can enhance rural households’ resilience to climate change extremes in ASALs of Kenya.
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    Assessing Climate Variability Adaptation and Coping Strategies Among Rural Households in Kenya
    (Journal of Water Sciences & Environment Technologies, 2018-08) Nduru, Gilbert M.; Musyimi, Peter Kinyae; Huho, Julius M.; Opiyo, Francis E.
    The aim of this study is to assess the adopted water scarcity adaptation and coping strategies of rural households to climate variability. It also identifies suitable strategies that minimize the impact of climate variability on water sources in arid and semi-arid (ASALs) in Kenya. The study was carried out in Makindu Sub-county, Makueni County, Kenya. Data collection techniques such as questionnaires and in-depth interview with 370 households, key informants interviews were used to assess the adaptation and coping strategies of rural households and identify the most suitable strategies for the study area. Rainfall data was collected from Makindu Meteorological station and used for meteorological drought characteristics analysis. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to analyze drought severity in the study area between 1980 and 2011. SPI was used to quantify precipitation deficit for various time scales. Drought Intensity (DI) was used to determine decadal drought intensities. SPI results showed that 18 years out of 31 with negative SPI values an indication of drought severity occurrence. The year 2005 was the driest in the area with an SPI of -1.76. The study also showed increasing drought intensities from 1990s to 2000s. The study showed that the rural households had adopted varied adaptation and coping strategies to cope with impact of drought extremes on water sources. However, increase in drought characteristics occurrences minimized their resilience and adaptive capacities. The study observed that the strategies employed are unlikely to enable them cope with recent climate change and variability regimes, therefore need for most suitable and viable ones. The study identified viable strategies such as rainwater harvesting and sinking boreholes as long term measures that can enhance rural households’ resilience to climate change extremes in ASALs of Kenya.
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