ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE RELATED DISASTERS ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN LOWER NYANDO RIVER BASIN, KISUMU COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Residents of lower Nyando River Basin, Kisumu County are predisposed to flooding and drought cycles, whose impacts are exacerbated by climate change. These phenomena leave trails of destruction, which negate cumulative efforts by the communities to maintain sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem health, compromising their resilience to Climate Change Related Disasters (CCRDs). The study examined resilience of households to the impacts of CCRDs on the environment in lower Nyando River Basin, Kisumu County, through six specific objectives: i) to determine the Impact of CCRDs on the Environment of households, ii) to determine the resilience of households to impacts of CCRDs on the environment, iii) to determine the influence of Impacts of CCRDs on the environment on the coping mechanisms, iv) to establish how the Impact of CCRDs on the environment influences recovery of households, v) to examine the influence of socioeconomic factors on the households’ ability to cope with impacts of CCRDs on the environment and vi) to investigate the influence of socioeconomic factors on households’ ability to recover from the impacts of CCRDs on the environment. Resilience was assessed as a function of coping and recovery. A descriptive research design was adopted. The research sampled three divisions: Kadibo, Nyando and Lower Nyakach which were selected purposefully due to being prone to both floods and drought. A proportionate sample of 374 household heads was systematically selected from a target population of 162,162. Data was collected using a household questionnaire, key informants’ guide and observation schedule. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics; frequency distributions, means, percentages and inferential statistics; ANOVA, Simple regression and multiple regression tested at alpha p < 0.5%) were used to test the six hypotheses. The results accepted two null hypotheses and rejected four null hypotheses and concluded that Impact of CCRDs on the environment is high, the resilience of households to impacts of CCRDs is below threshold, socioeconomic factors influence resilience to impacts of CCRDs with age and gender influencing resilience significantly and sizes of land influencing recovery significantly. The study recommends the following: a landscape approach to managing environmental hazards in order to reduce impact downstream, an up scaling of coping mechanisms, Policy consideration of socioeconomic factors: age, gender and land sizes in disaster management, enhancement of extension services, and communal approach to resource management to enhance resilience-proofing against CCRDs.