Landslide Disasters’ Causal/Trigger Factors as Understood by the Indigenous People in Murang’a County, Kenya

Abstract

Landslides constitute a considerable number of natural disasters globally. Landslides are not new in Kenya yet a dearth of information about the disasters has been reported. Murang’a County presents a unique case of geographical interest because of all the counties traversed by the Aberdare Ranges, it is the only one with the most serious, deadliest and recurrent landslides, especially in the recent past. Most studies on landslide disasters are limited to the scientific assessment and understanding neglecting the indigenous knowledge albeit the fact that indigenous people are affected in one way or another by the disasters. This research aims at highlighting the residents’ indigenous knowledge of landslide causal and trigger factors. Primary data are analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics in IBM-SPSS package. A total of 336 household questionnaires were administered, with an average response rate of 86%, complemented with, 8 Key Informants Interviews and 7 Focus Group Discussion. The key research findings were that indigenous people understood the landslide causal/trigger factors and their contribution landslides occurrences. The identified factors were rainfall, elevation, slope, soils and land-use land-cover. In conclusion, the study recommends the application and integrated of indigenous knowledge with existing scientific knowledge in the understanding of landslide disasters formulation of a policy framework at the county or national government levels. Also, landslides being highly localized, the study recommends further localized research targeting only the households affected by the landslides to gain closer understanding according to their knowledge and experiences through interaction with landslide disasters.