International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 18; October 2012 113 Human and Natural Factors in the Deterioration of Indigenous Irrigation Furrows in Marakwet, Kenya Daniel Kipkorir Joram Kareithi National Museums of Kenya School of Arts and Social Sciences, Moi University P.O. Box 3900-30100 Eldoret, Kenya. Abstract This paper examines factors influencing deterioration of Marakwet irrigation furrows drawn from Embobut River, Kenya. The furrows are located at 1º12’N to 1º15’ N and 35º 35’ E to 35º 40’E and flow along Sibow, Sagat and Kapchubai Escarpments to crop fields in the Kerio Valley. In total, there are fourteen furrows tapped from the upper and lower part of the perrenial river. They were constructed with inferior materials such as wood, leaves, grass and mud. Today, a number of the structures are broken, leaking, silted, eroded and blocked by mud and rock debris and nolonger efficent in their function as in the past. Both climatic and human factors have contributed to decay of the systems. Key Words: Marakwet, indigenous, irrigation, deterioration, furrows 1.Introduction Marakwet irrigation furrows were built about four hundred years ago and have since then been passed down from generation to generation. The furrows form the tangible cultural heritage of the Marakwet people and continues to be used for food crop irrigation in the semi-arid valley. Moore (1986) reportsthat the constructions of the furrows are linked with the traditions of Marakwet clans, especially during the migration and settlement in the late 18 th Century. According to the oral traditions some of the Marakwet clans jointly constructed some of the furrows and have been sharing the water in the irrigation of the food crops. Other clans solely constructed theirs and do not share the furrow water with others. The furrows are prone to damage and regular maintenance is undertaken to restore flow of the water to the crop fields (Kipkorir, 1973; Kipkorir and Ssenyonga, 1985; Moore, 1986; Adams et al 1997). Traditionally, men highly participated in the maintenance worksbecause the systems are associated with the clan in which men command authority and power. The furrows flow through steep and rocky escarpment and often get damaged from mud and rockslides., The major cause of damage is the heavy rains which trigger siltation, breakages and dislocation of the intakes at the Embobut River. This is made worse by environmental degradation which has induced heavy rain-runoff and breakage of the furrows. This paper discusses the human and natural factors which precipitate deterioration of the irrigation systems thereby exposing the marakwet to livelihood risks because of insufficient water for irrigation in the semi arid valley. 1.1Methodology The study was undertaken in November and December 2008 in five sub-locations of Tot Division namely, Sibow, Sagat, Kisiwei, Talai and Barkelat. A descriptive research design was used and the population of the study comprised all households that used irrigation systems drawn from the Embobut River. A sample of 230 households was randomly selected and a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to collect data. In addition, key informant interviews were carried out with a number of knowledgeable individuals in the community. The individuals included elders, community leaders, furrow repair technicians and managers of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Respondents were also invited for focus group discussion and direct observation of the furrows was made to identify factors influencing the deterioration.