Rivers are important freshwater resources that are important in supporting and sustaining socioeconomic systems in the world. However, the distribution of these freshwater resources is erratic and unreliable. Thus, man has always tried to exploit these resources by diverting river water to satisfy different needs. In tropical river basins, river water diversions has been done as a flood control measure and also to improve urban and rural water supplies, avail water for irrigation and generate hydropower. 1 The escalating demand for hydropower, irrigation and domestic water is likely to increase water abstractions in rivers. 2-4 River basins in the world are facing multiple stressors including pollution, infrastructure developments like dams, eutrophication and land use changes. 5 Limited studies have been undertaken to determine drivers of water abstraction and river water diversions in Kenya. In addition, the studies undertaken have mainly concentrated on water supplies and urban water demands. There is limited data on the root causes of water abstraction and river water diversion in tropical river basins. This study will fill this gap by establishing the main drivers of water abstraction and river water diversion in South West Upper Tana Basin. In South West Upper Tana, there are many low magnitude river diversions which are not documented. These diversions are necessitated by water needs such as irrigation agriculture, recreation, domestic use, and rural and urban supplies. However, it is not been established which of these water needs is the most dominant in the basin. Poor licensing and monitoring of water abstractions and river diversions in the basin has led to increased water abstractions in the basin and unintended consequences that has greatly affected the flow of rivers in the basin. The declining streamflow in the basin is a major concern since it affects the livelihoods in the region, degrades the aquatic ecosystem and affects the rural and urban water supplies in the area. 6,7 Thus, it is important to understand the main drivers of these abstractions in order to formulate policies and strategies to improve sustainability of the water resources. This study seeks to determine how these drivers interact categorically, synergistically and additively by applying the DPSIR framework. Rivers in South West Upper Tana Basin are important sources of water for Nairobi City. Through Ndakaini dam, rivers in this basin supply 84% of water to Nairobi City (Athi Water Services Board, 2014). Thus, there is a need to understand the drivers of water abstraction in this basin since they may affect the streamflow in the rivers in this basin which could lead to inadequate water supply in the city. In addition, for Kenya to attain Vision 2030 and attain Sustainable Development Goal number 6 of clean water and sanitation, sustainable

The study aimed to determine the influence of socio-economic activities on streamflow undertaken in South West Upper Tana Basin, Kenya (SWUT), one of the larger Upper Tana Basin basins. In this study, primary data was obtained by administering questionnaires, while secondary data was obtained from Water Resources Authority (WRA). The administration of questionnaires was in the period between April 2019 and June 2020. Logit regression was run to determine the influence of the different socio-economic activities on streamflow. The results showed that agriculture was the main socio-economic activity influencing water abstraction in the study area. Agricultural practices such as farm size, income from crop sales and fertiliser use significantly influenced water abstraction with P values (0.04, 0.01 and 0.02) < 0.05. The study also established household characteristics such as the income of the household head, income level of household head, marital status, age, residence period, level of education, the technology used, and gender of the household head positively influenced water abstraction. However, these factors did not significantly influence water abstraction with P values of 0.23, 0.78, 0.50, 0.60, 0.74, and 0.52 for the income level of household head, marital status, age, residence period and level of education, respectively, being > 0.05. The study recommends the formulation of policies to ensure efficient water abstraction in the basin. Water Resources Authority should also ensure that all water abstractors are licensed to minimise over-abstraction.

The aim of the study is to determine women's participation in artisanal gold mining in Macalder mines in Migori County, which is found in Southwestern Kenya. A mixed-method research design was used in the study to collect and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data. Purposive and snowball non-probability sampling methods were used to select the sample size since there is no proper data on the number of women involved in artisanal gold mining. A questionnaire survey and focus group discussions were used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that 80.8 per cent of the respondents were between 18 and 49 years old. Most of the women working in Macalder gold mines were earning <Kshs 5,000, which was not enough to sustain them. Low remuneration, health risks, cultural bias, domestic responsibilities and sexual harassment were the main challenges that women were facing in the gold mines. The study recommends formulating and implementing policies that recognise and safeguard the interests of women in artisanal gold mining. Women should also be provided with protective gear to reduce the health risks from gold processing.