Dynamics of Livelihoods and Environmental Crimes in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

This study examined the dynamics of livelihood and environmental crimes in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya. The study establishes that environmental degradation poses a great risk to human livelihood. The study sets the stage by examining the connection between forests and human livelihood, specifically exploring its value and relevance to human lives. Further, the study examines the dynamics of livelihood and forest crimes. Qualitative approaches, such as interviews, narratives, and document analyses, were employed. In the findings and results, the study establishes that there have been notable changes in the dynamics of the livelihoods of the residents of Elgeyo Marakwet, which disoriented their activities such as circumcision, grazing, and farming. On examining the impact of the drastic shift, it is established that the residents morphed into illegal loggers, amongst other forest crimes that have endangered their lives. The paper then proceeds to highlight competing challenges in addressing environmental crimes before recommending solutions on how to resolve challenges in environmental crimes in Kenya.