Abstract
This paper examines the willingness to pay for and participate in volunteer activities for the restoration of the Sosiani River in Eldoret, Kenya. The willingness to pay is examined through two scenarios which differ in the organizations conducting the proposed project. The study focuses on factory workers situated in textile industries and lay people living in the area, who are divided into two groups: respondents living downstream, who are situated mostly in town centers and at the mid/lower parts of the river and the respondents living upstream, mainly found at the upper parts of the River Sosiani. The study employs the double-hurdle model to identify the factors that influence the willingness to pay (WTP) for improved water quality in the area. An ordinal regression model is used to analyze the willingness to participate and its influencing factors. The results of the study show that an average of 74.4% of the 279 respondents studied were willing to pay for river restoration in the area. The mean willingness to pay for the government proposed scenario was KSh 182.51 (1.66$) per household/month and KSh 169.28 (1.54$) per household/month for a non-governmental proposed project. Within the groups upstream and downstream, inhabitants had higher mean scores for a non-government project as compared to a government project, while the reverse was observed in the factory group. The empirical results of this study show that risk perception, trust and socio-demographic variables were significant factors on the stated amount and the decision to participate of the respondents. The characteristics of respondents with zero WTP, who comprised a significant amount of the respondents (25.6%), are also analyzed in depth shaping the recommendations of this study. The empirical results show that the number of years lived in the community is a major determinant on willingness to participate and pay for environmental restoration projects in the area. The results of this study could influence decision makers in general and have potential implications that can be applied in other sectors not necessarily related to water issues.
Highlights
Pollution of river waters with harmful microbes, chemicals and toxic substances has been steadily increasing in recent years [1]
The study presents the findings of three different analyses: (1) the willingness to pay, osbserved under two scenarios that differ in the organization conducting the project; (2) the willingness to participate and (3) the unique analysis of zero respondents among two groups, i.e., the lay people located in different sections of River Sosiani and factory work‐ ers
The findings show that different factors, such as trust, risk per‐ ception and socio‐demographic characteristics, influence the willingness to pay and par‐ ticipate among lay people and factory workers
Summary
Pollution of river waters with harmful microbes, chemicals and toxic substances has been steadily increasing in recent years [1]. The entry of these pollutants into river water can occur from a either a non‐point or point source. Kenya is a water stressed country with a per capita freshwater availability of approximately 440 m3 and a forecast of 248 m3 by 2025 [4]. The country needs to mitigate river water pollution to ensure availability of already scarce water re‐ sources in the future [4]. Prudent management of the available freshwater re‐ sources is necessary but imperative
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