| dc.description.abstract | of all water on the planet is freshwater available for our agricultural, industrial,
and other consumptive uses. Human beings are currently facing issues with
climate change including increasing temperature, drought, earlier spring melts,
severe weather events, and diminishing fresh water resources. Water scarcity and
unpredictable rainfall are not new phenomenon in Tharaka South Sub County.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of drought related factors
on pupils’ participation in primary schools in the semi-arid areas of Tharaka
South Sub County in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The objectives of the study
were: Determine the effect of proximity of water sources, establish the effect of
purchasing water on participation, school sanitary conditions and water storage
facilities on pupils participation in primary schools. This study was conducted
using the descriptive survey research method. The target population for this
research was 2224 comprising of 41 head teachers, 343 teachers and 1840 pupils
comprising class seven and eight pupils. The researcher employed simple random
sampling to select 11 schools out of 41 public primary schools from where the
respondents of the study were drawn from. The study utilized three sets of data
collection instruments which are questionnaires for pupils and teachers, interview
schedule for headteachers and observation schedule. Reliability was tested
through test-retest method, and a correlation coefficient of 0.95 was obtained for
teachers questionnaires and 0.89 for pupils questionnaires. The results of data
analysis were presented using frequency distribution tables, bar graphs and pie
charts. The study established that the proximity to water sources had an effect on
the pupil’s participation in education, in primary schools, in that some of parent’s
income was directed to purchasing water and this affected pupil’s participation in
education, as water is a basic need and was prioritized first, before education. The
scarcity of water negatively affected sanitary conditions and that most of the
schools lacked water for cleaning hands. This affected participation of pupils, and
especially girls. The study recommends that; the Tharaka Nithi County
Government and donors should make effort to provide tapped water to the
schools. In the cases where tapped water is difficult to provide, the government
should embark on drilling boreholes and wells around the school areas. The
Kenyan National Government and the Non Governmental Organization’s should
provide tapped water to the households. In the cases where taped water will be
difficult to install, the government should consider solar water pumps and
boreholes to pump water for the locals, and this will reduce the money spent in
buying water, among the households. The donors and the governments through
the Constituency Development Funds should procure and distribute water storage
tanks to the schools in the region. The government should also consider
constructing dams in the local rivers, rock catchments and large water pans in the
communities, to enhance rain water storage, for the community at large. | en_US |
