Land Use Land Cover Changes and Its Perceived Effects on Households’ Livelihoods in Peri-Urban Areas of Nakuru City, Kenya

Abstract

High rates of population growth in cities is a global phenomenon that leads to notable changes in land use in their peri-urban areas. Nakuru City is not exceptional. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Eastern Africa. The diverse functions of the city attract an influx of people that leads to the growth of Nakuru City, causing notable effects of land use land cover changes in its peri-urban zones. However, the magnitude of these changes is not clear and how they affect households’ livelihoods in peri-urban areas of the city. The study sought to: establish the spatio-temporal land use land cover changes in peri-urban areas of Nakuru city since 2003 to 2023; assess the magnitude of the different types of land use land cover changes in peri-urban areas of Nakuru City; and find out the perceived effects of land use land cover changes on households’ livelihoods in peri-urban areas of Nakuru city. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Supervised and unsupervised classification techniques were employed to get thematic information from satellite images from Landsat 8. Purposive sampling was used to select three study locations in peri-urban areas of Nakuru city. A structured questionnaire was administered to determine the perceived effects of land use land cover changes. Cross tabulations and calculation of percentages were used to determine the perceived effects of land use land cover changes on households’ livelihoods. The results disclosed that land use land cover in peri-urban areas of Nakuru city changed significantly during the past two decades between 2003 and 2023. Farmlands increased by 11.4%, built-up area increased by 8.9%, bare lands increased by 15.6%, forest area increased by 8.1%, shrub land decreased by 25%, grassland decreased by 8.9%, water bodies increased by 9.1% from 2003 to 2023. Forest area and shrub land however depicted a fluctuating trend with an area decrease in 2014 and then an increase in 2023. Area under grasslands constantly decreased. The land use land cover changes have a positive influence on livelihoods as perceived by the households in the peri-urban areas of Nakuru city. The changes made a significant contribution to the development of livelihood opportunities and strategies among households. This in turn influenced positive and beneficial livelihood outcomes. Despite this, land use land cover changes have negative effects on natural resources such as reduced access to water and healthy living environment. This study contributes to the achievement of Kenya’s Vision 2030, Agenda 21 of the United Nation and 2063 African Union Agenda that aims at achieving sustainable urban development, characterized by high quality of life for all urban populations. National and County Governments need to take appropriate measures to reduce the rapid change in land use land cover and to integrate environmental conservation with human livelihoods in Nakuru City.