Role of Politics in the Destruction of the Mau Forest

Abstract

The study set out to establish the relationship between politics and Mau Forest conservation in Kenya. An attempt has been made to justify the study both as policy and as scholarly contribution. It is useful not only to Kenyan policy makers but to the global community. It underlines the gaps both theoretically and in literature which the study is likely to fill. Literature review further emphasized the need to investigate the relationship between politics and Mau Forest conservation. The study is guided by the theory of ecologism as espoused in political ecology and where the two hypotheses are drawn the first being that politics play a role in destruction of the Mau Forest and two that there is political interest in the conservation of the Mau Forest. This is strengthened by the fact that the nature of encroachment in the Mau Forest land and the defense of the encroachers by the political class hence the shift from forest conservation to political duel. In terms of methodology, the study relied on both primary and secondary data. The respondents in the primary data were identified through non-probability sampling technique. The secondary data on the other hand was obtained from books, journals, magazines, newspapers, websites and government documents.