Land Use Change And Its Impact On Livelihoods: A Case Study Of Kalokol Division, Turkana County, Kenya

Land use in Turkana County has been punctuated by radical disruptions, caused by \nthe containment policy during and after the colonial period and recurrent droughts \ncoupled with intertribal conflicts during the post-Independence period. This study was \nundertaken to determine the land use change that has occurred and its impact on \nlivelihoods in Kalokol division, in Turkana County. \nThe study aims were to determine the type of land use change, examine impacts of \nland use change on community livelihoods, assess the resultant effect of land use \nchange on gender roles, determine community coping strategies of land use change \nand recommend measures and strategies to minimize negative impacts of land use \nchange on Kalokol community livelihoods. \nThe study adopted a survey design and purposively selected two of the three locations \nin Kalokol division which has a total population of 42,172. One sampled location is \nsituated on the Lake shore while the second one is about three kilometres away from \nthe lake shore for comparison. The data collection methods adopted by the researcher \nwere documents review, face to face interviews, focus group discussions, observations \nand photography. The research instruments used included a semi-structured \nquestionnaire, an institutional and focus group discussion guide, an observation form \nand a camera. Respondents from 90 households and 5 key informants were \ninterviewed. Two focus group discussions one for men and another for women were \nheld. \nThe findings show that the main land use changes are: declining nomadic pastoralism \nand increasing permanent human settlement, fishery and business enterprises. They \ndepict a strong positive correlation (r= 0.989) between land use change and decline in \nthe major sources of livelihoods in Kalokol. The findings further indicate a significant \nchange in both men and women’s roles in Kalokol as a result of land use change. \nNomadic-pastoralism and basket/mat weaving are Key community coping strategies \nemployed for survival. Research recommends formulation of comprehensive policies \nand plans by the government in conjunction with development agencies to promote, \nprotect and enhance pastoralism as a land use and a source of livelihoods. In addition, \nthe pastoral community needs to embrace diversification of livelihoods and gender \nroles to enhance food security in Kalokol division.