Integration of Indigenous and Scientific Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction Education in Kenya; A Framework for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Vision 2030 aims at transforming Kenya into a newly industrialized, middle income country, providing a high quality life to all the citizens in a safe and secure environment by the year 2030. The vision stands on three pillars, social, political and economic with Science, Technology and Innovation as their foundation. Hydro-meteorological disasters in fragile ecological zones in Kenya have destroyed all the development made in a long time. Disaster risk reduction education is the inoculation to the havoc that these disasters cause. Disaster risk reduction is a multi-sectoral facet and aims at reducing peoples' vulnerability to disasters that exacerbate poverty, providing a just society, clean environment and upholding human rights. A lot of effort has already been put in place by state and non-state actors to reduce Budalangi flood plains community vulnerability to floods. However, indigenous knowledge on flooding and River Nzoia regime, the soil science has not been factored in the intervention measures. The scientific technological knowledge on early warning signs, vulnerability analysis, and mapping of the flooding given to the community is differentiated and does not integrate the indigenous technological knowledge. There seems to be a disconnect between the community's indigenous knowledge and modern scientific technology given to them in terms of early warning signs and development of resilience to floods. Furthermore, there is no framework for hybridization of indigenous and scientific technology in disaster risk reduction education. This study has recommended a nexus of indigenous and modern scientific knowledge and technology as the antidote to the continuous suffering of the communities in fragile hydro-meteorological climatic zones for sustainable development.