The Political Economy, Manipulation And Watershed Degradation In KENYA

Abstract

Kenya’s experience in terms of draught, erratic rainfall patterns, scarcity of water and

rationing of electricity exposes the powerful relationship between environmental issues

and the political system. These problems have resulted to suffering in terms of lack of

food, loss of livelihoods assets e.g. livestock and loss of jobs in general. The politicians

have always used environmental assets such as the Aberdares, Mau forest among others

which are the country’s main water catchment towers to appease unsuspecting

communities to maintain them in power by voting for them and protecting their selfish

interests.

With increased consciousness on climate change and its adverse effects on especially the

resource poor, vested political interests has alienated the marginalized’s opportunity to

join the global arena in trading in services offered by sustainably managed ecosystems in

Kenya. There is only 14 green energy and climate friendly projects are in various stages

of approval for clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, yet the

country has lost 5% of its forest cover in the last 15 years.

A stormy and current debate rages on with two schools of though; one advocating for

nonnegotiable total protection and the other arguing that conservation has to have a

human face and should not be at the expense of evictees.

This paper documents key historical points of association between Kenyan politics and

encroachment of major water towers, in relation to how these towers have been governed

over time including community initiatives aimed at protecting them. The paper also

identifies and analyzes the key impacts of this encroachment and proposes a workable

framework of managing these areas sustainably.

The paper relies on the secondary data gathered over time in various urban and regional

planning department studios carried out over time in different parts of the country. In

formulation of the sustainable framework it analyzes the authoritative Ndungu report on

land and Graft in Kenya, Kenya’s major political parties so as to asses how what they

document is reflected in what they practice.

The paper’s major recommendation is that, sustainable protection of Kenya’s water

catchment areas will be won when local people are empowered to manage local resources

and adapt to environmental change and holding politicians accountable for abuse of

power.