Colonial Roots of Environmental Degradation of the Elgeyo Escarpment and the Search for Livelihoods

Abstract

The Keiyo who inhabits and occupy the southern part of the Elgeyo escarpment are the subject of this study. Before the 1970s, the escarpment was carpeted with lush, semi-tropical vegetation. But due to factors associated with human activities, a large part of the mountainous slopes has been destroyed together with its ecosystems. It is a study in historical context that traces the demographic profile of the Keiyo and the economic challenges that they have faced in search of livelihoods. The study is about understanding the relationship between history, environmental degradation and peasant livelihoods. The theoretical starting point is provided by Kirk’s environmental perception mode and studies on human behavioural characteristics. The Keiyo are culpable of reckless destruction of their ecosystem with devastating consequences of death, deluge and destruction. Landslides that have become a common occurrence began from the 1980s. This has been blamed on wanton tree cutting for charcoal and the use of fire to clear land for the cultivation of maize.