Social Impacts of Gulley Erosion in Kenya: a Study of Kisumu West Constituency

Abstract

Global statistics indicate that environmental degradation generally and soil erosion in particular is increasingly becoming a big problem for sustainable development. Due to increasing soil erosion processes such as gulley erosion which entails the formation of deep incisions (or canyons) on land surface, soil quality and productivity is reducing. Some areas around the globe are also getting cut off by these gullies and the social ramifications of such occurrences on communities that live around them can only be imagined. For instance, in Kenya, the social impacts of gulley erosion have not been adequately studies and documented, particularly in Kisumu West Constituency. This study therefore sought to establish how widespread gulley erosion is in this region, its social impacts on the communities living in the constituency, and document any measures being used to manage the gulley erosion menace and its social impacts in the area. Guided by functionalism, cluster, and sustainable development theories, this descriptive study, through the use of both qualitative and quantitative data it collected, found that gully erosion is a major problem in Kisumu West Constituency. Gullies there were growing deeper, wider and longer in addition to many new ones emerging. Some of their key social impacts included reduced interaction among community members, reduced school attendance by children, limited trade, land based conflicts, and migration by people to more productive and habitable areas. Worsening the situation is the finding that, not much was being done to manage gulley erosion and its social impacts. In effect, this study recommends that gabions, sand dams and public awareness creation be used to manage gulley erosion, more social amenities be set up to cushion community members from social impacts, and that further research be done to come up with more effective and affordable ways of addressing this environmental and social problem.