Abstract:
Kakamega Forest and its environs have undergone rapid changes in land tenure and land use activi-
ties in recent years. Consequently, changing land tenure and land use and their impact on local
communities’ conservation initiatives have become central in conservation debates. Despite this,
wildlife conservation is constrained by a legacy of top-down government approaches that do not
recognize indigenous land and resource rights. Yet effective conservation is only possible where land
ownership, tenure security, access and use rights and legitimacy of authority exist. This paper exam-
ines the link between land tenure and the Isukha community’s participation in wildlife conservation
within and around Kakamega Forest National Reserve in Kenya. Results indicate that there is a link
between land tenure and the Isukha community’s participation in wildlife conservation. Results also
indicate that as in other African countries, the introduction of radical land reforms and wildlife
conservation laws and policies impacted negatively on the community’s indigenous land rights as
well as their participation in wildlife conservation.