Factors influencing the uptake of flood mitigation measured in Budalangi, Kenya

Abstract

The severe climate change necessitates the people who live in the flood prone areas, to implement the flood mitigation measures in their communities. There are various factors that influence the uptake of mitigation measures; these factors are very vital in the design of community development plans. This research aims to assess the relationship between socio-psychological factors and the people’s uptake of flood mitigation measures in Budalangi, Kenya. The socio-psychological factors include-(1) the perceived self-efficacy, (2) the flood experience, (3) the perceived response cost, (4) the worry, and (5) the perceived flood consequences. Primary data was obtained from one hundred households in Budalangi through face-to-face interviews. The statistical analysis and Spearman correlation test were employed for evaluating the interviewed data. The analysis results revealed that the uptake of mitigation measures is greatly affected by the self-efficacy. The flood experience and worry contribute moderate and weak positive influences, respectively. The perceived response cost has negative influences. The perceived consequence is statistically insignificant factor. The identified barriers of mitigation schemes implementation include-incentive, financial issue, lack of technology, communication and information transferred. These impediments required immediate attentions to improve the mitigation management at household’s level. The future research should focus on household’s perspectives if the effective mitigation measures are implemented.