Policy Implementation Framework and Partnership for the Management of Riparian Zones: A Case of River King’wal, Kenya

Riparian zone management in developing countries is a challenging endeavour in balancing community needs with state intentions. Most of the zones tend to exist in characteristic needy contexts that drive households into encroachment and overexploitation of existing natural resources. This contradicts the policy intentions of the state for their conservation. The River Kingw’al riparian zone experiences anthropogenic pressures that contradict the management capacities of the state, notwithstanding the existing policy framework. This study sought to assess the partnership orientations between both actors informed by the existing policy framework for the management of the River King’wal riparian zone in Nandi County, Kenya. It was anchored in the theory of partnership and adopted a qualitative research design using descriptive research methods. The target population was 664 respondents, comprising government departments and households living along the King’wal Riparian Zone in Nandi County. The sample size was 209 respondents, comprising 195, representing 30% of the population living along the riparian zone, who were selected using simple random sampling techniques, and another 14 respondents who were purposefully selected. Qualitative data which were collected using interviews, questionnaires and focus groups discussion were analyzed and presented thematically. The findings showed that the policy framework remains ineffective in building partnerships between the state and the adjacent community. Community engagement in riparian zone management is cosmetic and non-supportive of the intentions of the state in restricting encroachment and overexploitation of the resources in the protected zone. The study recommends the deliberate capacitation of the local community to encourage it to participate in the conservation of the riparian zone.