International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies (IJPSAT) ISSN: 2509-0119. © 2018 International Journals of Sciences and High Technologies http://ijpsat.ijsht-journals.org Vol. 7 No. 1 February 2018, pp. 88-96 Corresponding Author: Pleasure Chebus 88 The Effect of Ecotourism Initiatives on the Livelihood of Local Community around Kit Mikayi Site in Kisumu County, Kenya Pleasure Chebus School of Business and Human Resource Development Rongo University, Kenya Abstract- Eco-tourism is primarily a low impact nature of tourism which contributes to the maintenance of species and habitats either directly through contribution to conservation and/or indirectly by providing revenues sufficient for local people to value, and therefore, protect their wildlife and heritage areas. This paper presents a study done in areas adjacent to Kit Mikayi cultural site about the effect of ecotourism initiatives on the livelihoods of local community living adjacent to it. Study targeted 500 people and used a sample size of 70 heads of households drawn from target population, who were randomly selected in the interval of every 4th homestead within the study area. For key informant interviews purposive sampling was used to identify the respondents by virtue of the roles they play in tourism sector. This paper relied on both primary and secondary data to provide an account of ecotourism initiatives and improvement in the livelihoods of the locals. Most outstanding result from the local community’s perspective is that ecotourism activities can create jobs and generate wealth as well as facilitate the growth of social networks locally known chamas which in turn improve the livelihoods of the local community. Keywords- Ecotourism; Livelihood; Local Community and Conservation. I. BACKGROUND Travel and tourism are among the fastest growing industries and a major source of foreign exchange earnings for many developing countries [1]. The United Nations World Tourism Organization reported an increase in the number of international arrivals to 1.1 billion in 2017[ 2]. This economic importance of tourism has captured the attention of the world. Conversely, the growth of tourism poses threat to cultural and biological diversity. As a result, ecotourism is an alternative form of tourism that is consistently gaining grounds on a global scale during the past few years [3]. It is a sustainable form of natural resource-based tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature [4]. It typically occurs in natural areas, and should contribute to the conservation or preservation of the same. According to Fennell [5] ecotourism is “Nature tourism encompassing all forms of adventurous, low-impact tourist activities which uses natural resources in a wild or undeveloped form – including species, habitats, landscape, scenery and salt and fresh water features. Ecotourism activities using natural resource attractions in remote rural areas can be important sources of economic diversification and livelihood opportunity ([6],[7]; [8]). For instance, in Kenya, N’gwesi Ecotourism Site was awarded the Equator Initiative Award at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002 due to how the destination impacts economically on the local residents. Again, in South Africa, Buffalo Ridge Thakadu River Safari Camp within Madikwe Game Reserve is a 100% owned ecotourism site which gives numerous economic returns to the local people (www.africacommunity-based ecotourism.com.). In Ghana, ecotourism gained prominence since 1996 towards developing economically and culturally sensitive locations in rural parts of the country [9]. It has created opportunities for rural communities to earn income and created tourism related jobs through the conservation of local ecosystems and culture. Due to the contribution of ecotourism to socioeconomic development of local people, such laudable projects receive funding from donor agencies such as USAID and Netherland Development Organization (SNV) to which Siring Pottery and Art in the Karenna Nangana West District in the Upper East Region is one of the few lucky beneficiaries. Despite interventions that have been put in place to encourage participation in ecotourism initiatives statistics