Abstract:
Kakamega forest is one of the major tourist attractions in Kenya because of its richness in
biodiversity. Socio-economic studies done in Kakamega forest have shown that there is high
dependence on the forest by the local communities. The study therefore sought: i) To determine
the socio-economic characteristics of the households around Kakamega forest ii) To determine
how the resident communities use the forest in meeting their economic needs. The target
population comprised the adults who lived near the forest and headed a household. Out of the
estimated 800 households a 10% population was chosen to form the study sample.
Questionnaires were administered to collect data and thereafter the quantitative information
obtained was analysed using mean, frequency and percentages. The data collected through
personal communication were analysed by qualitative analysis or value judgment. Both
descriptive and quantitative analyses were used. The results showed that communities living
around the forest were highly depended on the Kakamega forest in several ways. The study
recommends the need to establish forest plantations to supply the requirements of local
communities for wood fuel, charcoal, poles and timber much of which is presently obtained from
the indigenous forest of Kakamega. The study will finally help scholars undertake studies and
make recommendations to environmental conservation stakeholders on the need to consider the
mutual benefit between forests as ecosystems and the people who live within or around the
forests. |
