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Knowledges, Fuelwood and Environmental Management in Kisumu District, Kenya

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Knowledges, Fuelwood and Environmental Management in Kisumu District, Kenya Durham E-Theses Knowledges, fuelwood and environmental management in Kisumu district, Kenya Mahiri, Ishmail O. How to cite: Mahiri, Ishmail O. (1998) Knowledges, fuelwood and environmental management in Kisumu district, Kenya, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5016/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Knowledges, Fuelwood and Environmental Management in Kisumu District, Kenya Ph.D. Thesis Ishmail O. Mahiri The copyright of tiiis diesis rests with tlie autlior. No quotation from it should be published without die written consent of die audior and information derived from it should be acknowledged. A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Department of Geography, University of Durham, England 1998 4 FEB 1999 Declaration This thesis has been composed by myself and it has not been submitted in any previous appHcation for a degree. The work reported within was executed by myself, and all information cited are acknowledged at the appropriate point in the text. Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without their prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Dedication To my dear wife Carren and our beloved children Abstract Fundamental issues of natural resource management revolve around diverse worldviews, knowledges and practices, which cannot all be captured within the policy framework. The Western worldview, which reflects mainly the utilitarian, economistic view of resources, has influenced and shaped the trend management of natural resources has taken world-wide. The Western worldview contrasts with local knowledges, which are uniquely innovative, highly dynamic, tacit, contextual and/or locality-specific. This thesis explores the fuelwood problem in Nyando Division of Kisumu District in Kenya, seeking both a holistic understanding and an emphasis on the interface between official policy and local rural practice, including the varying knowledges. The study focused on two case study clans, Muga and Kadhier in Awasi and Kochogo Locations, respectively. Most fuelwood in the study areas is from on-farm and multiple accessible sources. This contradicts the 'fuelwood orthodoxy' school which associates fuelwood consumption with deforestation and 'woodfuel crisis'. Aerospace imageries clearly illustrated a change and decline in stand density of the woody vegetation cover in Nyando Division over time. Differences in fuelwood availability and inequalities in endowment of wood/tree resources in and between the study localities exemplify critical questions of entitlement in the face of 'abundance'. Tree planting was not seen to be synonymous with fuelwood availability. This scenario promotes the fuelwood trade, high dependence on fuelwood purchase and supplements of crop residues by local households. Land privatisation has exacerbated the situation. Distances travelled to collect fuelwood have decreased as people turn to alternative and purchased fuels. Opportunities in the study area for the resolution of the fuelwood problem include promotion of less culturally restricted and less economically valuable trees, and a more farmer-sensitive approach from government and NGOs which recognises farmers as active partners in the interface between policy and rural practice. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I am most grateful to the Almighty God; my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and the Holy Spirit for the grace, strength, and wisdom granted me throughout the course of this study. May all glory and honour be to God. Special thanks go to my supervisors, Dr Gina Porter and Dr Janet Townsend, for their excellent supervision throughout the period of this study. Their rigour, intellectual ability, and critical comments helped to shape this thesis. I also thank Dr Chris Dunn, University of Durham, and Dr Phil O'Keefe, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, for their helpful comments. Many thanks are gratefully extended to the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme and the University of Durham, through the Department of Geography, for the funding to meet the costs of this study. The Durham Research Studentship provided the bulk of the finances to meet half the tuition fees, accommodation, and expenses for fieldwork. My thanks are also extended to the Graduate Society. I would particularly wish to thank the College Principal, Dr Mike Richardson, for his encouragement and sympathetic understanding during difficult moments. I also thank all the members of staff and fellow postgraduate students in the Department of Geography, University of Durham for their support. My thanks are extended to Kenyatta University, through the Department of Geography, for granting me the Study Leave to undertake this study. I am also grateful to the Government of Kenya for the clearance to travel abroad. I wish to record my appreciation of the local villagers and government officials in Nyando Division and Kisumu District for their help and support. Special thanks go to all my interviewees throughout Kenya for giving me their valuable time. I must also acknowledge with thanks the constant prayer support. Christian love and friendship of fellow Christian brethren at Emmanuel Church, Durham, and Burn Buru Community Church, Nairobi. I would particularly want to mention Pastor Alan Bell of Emmanuel Church, and two members, Geoff and Grace Atkinson, for their fervent Christian love and concern. Finally, I owe much gratitude to my dear wife Carren and our beloved children for their prayers, encouragement, and unwavering support, and for allowing me to be away from the family for the period of my study. My dear wife Carren undertook single-handed the raising of our beloved children during the whole of my absence. With love and appreciation of this sacrifice by my wife and children, I dedicate this thesis to them. Thanks to you all and God bless. Acronyms ACTS African Centre for Technology Studies C-MAD Community Mobilisation Against Desertification CARE Co-operative for American Relief Everywhere CMS Church Missionary Society DAEO Divisional Agricultural Extension Officer DC District Commissioner DFEO Divisional Forest Extension Officer DFO District Forest Officer DLAO Divisional Land Adjudication Officer DPT Divisional Planning Team DRSRS Department of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensin DTO Divisional Tree Overseer ELCI Environment Liaison Centre International EMC Environmental Management Committee EPZs Economic Processing Zones FCC False Colour Composite FD Forest Department GOK Government of Kenya GTZ German Development Agency GWH Gigawatt Hours HRV High Resolution Vidicon IBEAC Imperial British East Africa Company IMF International Monetary Fund ITDG Intermediate Technology Development Group lUCN The World Conservation Union KARI Kenya Agricultural Research Institute KDDP Kisumu District Development Plan KFMP Kenya Forestry Master Plan KNA Kenya National Archives KPLC Kenya Power and Lighting Company KWDP Kenya Woodfuel Development Programme HI LAS Local Afforestation Scheme LCCs Local County Councils LDCs Least Developed Countries LEAP LDCs Energy Alternative Planning MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoE Ministry of Energy MoE&NR Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources MoE&RD Ministry of Energy and Regional Development MSS Multi-spectral Scanner MW Megawatts NEAP National Environmental Action Plan NES National Envirormient Secretariat NGO Non-governmental Organisation OTA Office of Technology Assessment PC Provincial Commissioner PPCSCA Permanent Presidential Commission for Soil Conservation and Afforestation PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal PS CO Provincial Soil Conservation Officer RAES Rural Afforestation Extension Scheme SoK Survey of Kenya SPOT Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre toe Tons of Oil Equivalent UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNEP United Nation Environmental Program WCED World Commission on Environment and Development WWF World Wide Fund for Nature YOUNDE Youth Union Development Club IV List of Tables Table 2.1: Accessible sustainable fuelwood supply: national projection, 1995-2020 26 Table 2.2 a: Domestic fuel consumption in rural Kenya by ecological zones: nation-wide survey, 1984 32 Table 2.2 b: Percentage of households using fuel in rural Kenya by ecological zones: nation-wide survey, 1984 32 Table 2.2 c: Measures of fuelwood scarcity by distance and time: rural Kenya, 1984 32 Table 2.3: Residential energy use by household income: urban Kenya, 1980 33 Table 3.1: Percentage distribution of households by means of lighting - Kisumu District 47 Table 3.2: Wealth ranking by key informants in Kadhier and Muga clans, July 1996 56 Table 4.1: Interviews conducted during fieldwork in Kenya, July 1996-March
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