INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI) ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XI Issue I January 2024 Page 115 www.rsisinternational.org Rural Livelihood Choices Effect on Perceived Soil Erosion in Kieni Sub Counties, Nyeri County in Kenya Fred K. Wamalwa (Ph.D.) 1 *, Prof. Florence Ondieki – Mwaura (Ph.D.) 2 1 Department of Development studies, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Eldoret, Kenya. 2 Department of Development studies, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya. *Corresponding Author DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2024.1101010 Received: 29 August 2023; Revised: 15 September 2023; Accepted: 20 September 2023; Published: 29 January 2024 ABSTRACT Poverty continues to be the main cause of livelihood challenges in the developing world. The environmental constraints among rural populations in arid and semi-arid communities or drylands continues to be a subject of interest in development research. One of the most understated effects of livelihood activities on the human wellbeing is their implication on soil degradation. Most studies regarding poverty and the environment overlook consequences of rural livelihood choices in marginal areas on the environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate household livelihoods influence on soil erosion in Kieni East and West sub counties of Nyeri County in Kenya. This has become necessary as poor rural populations are the hardest hit in terms of negative effects of livelihoods on soil degradation. The study adopted cross sectional research design, involving mixed method approaches to collect primary and secondary sources of data. The main source of quantitative data collection was household survey, while the qualitative aspect of data was collected using focused group discussions and desk reviews. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to establish a 400 sample size in 10 sub locations of Kieni East and Kieni West sub counties. An independent T-Test was carried out to test statistical significance at p<0.05 at the two sites. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the influence of livelihood choices on soil erosion problems. Based on the analysis, the linkage between livelihoods and soil erosion was significant. Pooled results show that soil erosion is mainly caused by cropping activities [B=0.277], forest activities [B=.195], and livestock activities [B=.125] respectively. The results also demonstrate that livestock activities influence on soil erosion in Kieni East was significant [B=.183] at P<0.05 and insignificant in Kieni West [B=.073] at p>0.05. The study concludes with some recommendations for policy consideration. Key Words: Drylands; Crop activities; Livestock activities; Forest activities; Soil erosion, Kenya INTRODUCTION Generally, the association of poverty with rural populations is explained by deprivation in terms of basic and economic livelihood opportunities. Present day concerns about the level of poverty in rural areas have caused significant interests in research. Over the years different approaches have been adopted to address the problem of poverty in rural areas. These include poverty reduction strategies, food security programmes, sustainable agriculture and rural development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and from 2015, Sustainable Development Goals (UN, 2015). However, in spite of these concerted efforts, poverty remains a significant issue in the developing countries (World Bank, 2018). Livelihood approaches to reduce poverty recognise that resources are at the centre of livelihood choices. Resources are seen in terms of ‘capitals’ and which are viewed as accessible or inaccessible to people mainly on the basis of structural factors. Therefore, the approaches view resources as assets and categorise