THE NEXUS BETWEEN LAND USE CHANGES AND LANDSLIDES OCCURRENCES ON THE SLOPES OF MT. ELGON, BUNGOMA COUNTY IN KENYA

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Land use and land cover has been recognized throughout the world as one of the most important factors influencing landslides occurrence. Although many landslide episodes have been reported and observed on the slopes of Mount Elgon both in Uganda and Kenya, little literature exists describing the relationship between land use/land cover and landslide occurrences. The overall objective of the study was to establish the link between land use changes and landslide occurrence. The study adopted mixed method research design. The research used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through interview schedules and questionnaires. Purposive sampling was used to select sites from the four wards for purposes of primary data collection and transect walk. Simple random sampling was used to select 381 households. Landsat satellite images for land cover change analysis was sourced from Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD). Primary data which included quantitative data as analyzed using the statistical package for social scientist (SPSS) (version20). A linear regression model was run to get the predictor values between the variables. The results of this study revealed that; there is a positive link between land use changes characterized by agricultural practices, human activities, increased population, semi-urbanization and landslide occurrences in the Mt. Elgon region. On basis of the above findings, the study recommends that there is an urgent need by appropriate stakeholders from Government, both national and County, to restore forest cover on the deforested steep slopes and restrain the communities from encroaching on the pristine mid slopes of Mt Elgon.