School of Natural Resources, Tourism and Hospitality

Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) knowledge, attitudes and practices in water stressed Kenyan semi-arid landscape

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) knowledge, attitudes and practices in water stressed Kenyan semi-arid landscape Brian Marvis Waswala-Olewe, Monica Adhiambo Olewe, Faith Oloitipitip, George Paul Omondi, Paul Webala, Romulus Abila Residents of Kenya’s semi-arid Narok West subcounty have low access to safe potable water and sanitation, resulting in waterborne diseases (WBD) morbidity and poor sanitation. A survey of 155 households in the subcounty revealed critical insights into water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practiced in a semi-arid region. Using stratified random sampling and statistical analysis, our study revealed that most respondents (92.6%) lack access to public piped water with 35.5% consuming non-potable water. Majority of the surface water sources are unprotected, with rivers being the primarily water source. Water source seasonality and WBD prevalence varied significantly by subcounty wards (p=<0.05). While 64.5% of households treated water, WBD prevalence remained high at 37.4% three months prior to this study. Sanitation access showed 70% of households used improved facilities, while 30% practiced open defecation. Neither gender nor age significantly influenced sanitation facility use. These findings highlight contemporary challenges in achieving UN SDG 6 targets for clean water and sanitation in rural Kenya. We recommend enhancing water conservation to maintain ecological integrity amid climate change and promotion of Community-Led Total Sanitation through awareness campaigns, education, and social marketing. Integrating local indigenous knowledge into water management and conducting regular physiochemical and microbial assessments of surface wetlands are also critical to improving WASH outcomes and reducing WBD morbidity in Narok West.

Alternative water filtration materials, technologies, practices and sources of knowledge in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and high rainfall areas

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Alternative water filtration materials, technologies, practices and sources of knowledge in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and high rainfall areas Doryce Ndubi, Aloys Osano, Romulus Abila Indigenous knowledge and practices (IKP) can be incorporated into low-tech environmentally sustainable water filtration methods for low-income rural Sub- Saharan African communities. This study sought to identify alternative water filtration materials, technologies, practices and sources of this knowledge in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands and high rainfall regions. Adult household heads were interviewed through the administration of open and close ended questionnaires. From the respondents, 25% of the arid and semi-arid lands used clay vessels, 62.5% gravel and pebbles, and 12.5% bark of Acacia albida. Out of respondents from high rainfall areas, 59% used clay vessels, 27% gravel and pebbles, 14% leaves of Rhus natalensis, and 25% filtration with cloth. The major technologies used by respondents from arid and semi-arid lands were sedimentation (36%), sun heating (27%) and filtration using gravel and pebbles (21%) while those from high rainfall regions mainly used filtration with clay pots (28%), leaves of plants (21%) and boiling (18%). Respondents from arid and semi-arid lands indicated that 9% gained this knowledge by word of mouth, and 91% through observation, while 17% from the high rainfall regions by word of mouth and 83% from observation. The findings indicated that different communities applied the various technologies in a customized way. Traditional water filtration materials are eco-friendly, cost-effective and easily adaptable, and their use should be encouraged. Conventional methods should seek to modify and improve these methods to ensure higher purification efficiency.

Water Quality, Phytoplankton Composition, and Microcystins Concentrations in Water Pans in Narok Semi-Arid Landscape, Kenya

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Water Quality, Phytoplankton Composition, and Microcystins Concentrations in Water Pans in Narok Semi-Arid Landscape, Kenya Martha Bosibori Moseti, Samson Mabwoga, Babu Jared, Romulus Abila Water pans in the semi-arid Narok socio-ecological landscape provide essential ecosystem services to local communities, livestock, and wildlife, but are increasingly threatened by land use changes, demographic expansion, and climate variability. There is thus an urgent need to safeguard the ecological integrity of these water bodies. This study was conducted to establish factors that determine phytoplankton and algal structure in relation to their toxins, impact on water quality, and ecosystem health from January to July 2023. Triplicate samples for phytoplankton enumeration and algal toxins were collected from twenty purposively selected water pans identified in Google Earth. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, and pH were measured in-situ using hand-held meters while chemical concentrations were analyzed using standard procedures as guided by APHA, (2017). Enumeration and identification of phytoplankton were done at 400x magnification. Chlorophyll a concentration was determined by filtration followed by cold extraction in ethanol. Microcystin algal toxins were analyzed using the Elisa Kit Model No. 357 C. The main algal taxa identified were: Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Zygnematophyceae and Dinophyceae. The most dominant algal species were Microcystis aeruginosa (25.44 %), Merismopedia spp (23.49 %), and Anabaena flos-aquae (16.06 %). Five Microcystin toxins were identified namely MC-LR, MC-YR, MC-LA, MC-RR, and MC-dmLR. Concentrations of MC-LR and MCYR exceeded WHO acceptable standards and were significantly correlated. There was a significant difference in chlorophyll a, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH among different water pans (ANOVA; p<0.05). The total phosphate concentration to total nitrogen concentration ratios (TP:TN) for all the water pans differed from the expected TP:TN ratio of 1:16. The presence of micro toxins in the water pans presents a concern over the suitability of the water for domestic, livestock, and wildlife use. This situation is likely to worsen with increasing episodes of drought, resulting in the concentration of the toxins in water.

Moving beyond forest cover: Linking forest density, age, and fragmentation to diet

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Moving beyond forest cover: Linking forest density, age, and fragmentation to diet Aeryn Ng, Sarah E. Gergel, Maya Fromstein, Terry Sunderland, Hisham Zerrif · Jedidah Nankaya Forests support food security and nutrition worldwide, especially so for highly forest-dependent communities who collect a variety of food products from nearby forests. While the importance of forest cover to the diets of forest-dependent communities has been well-researched, little is known regarding the role of more specifc forest characteristics – information that would be valuable for better identifying the landscapes that support a nutritious and diverse diet. To address this research gap, we linked child dietary data to remotely-sensed geospatial indicators of surrounding forest characteristics – using more nuance than is typically undertaken – by examining forest age, tree density, and forest fragmentation in Kenya’s East African Montane Forests. Interestingly, dietary diversity of children demonstrated no or relatively weak associations with forest characteristics. However, by parsing out individual food groups, we exposed the nuance and complexities associated with the forest-diet relationship. Vegetable/fruit consumption was positively associated with open and moderately dense forest cover, but negatively associated with fragmented forest cover. The consumption of meat and vitamin A-rich fruit was positively associated with younger forest cover, and negatively associated with dense forest cover. Older forest cover was positively associated with green leafy vegetable consumption, but negatively associated with other vegetable/fruit consumption. Our fndings provide suggestive evidence that there is no single ‘ideal’ type of forest for supporting food security and nutrition – rather, diferent types of forests are associated with diferent dietary benefts. Taken together, these results indicate the need for more in-depth research that accounts for factors beyond the proximity and amount of generic forest cover.