THE UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG

1.8 Methodology
The choice of research method
The research method used in this study consists of questionnaire and interview techniques of
data collection. Key informant interviews were used as a technique for gathering data from
the different key informants in the realm of national level institutions. The different national
level stake holders involved in this exercise included: the Forest Department, the National
Museums of Kenya (NMK), the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), the Kenya Resource Centre
for Indigenous Knowledge (KENRIK), Ministry of Environment and Natural
Resources,(MENR), the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and Non
Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as the Kenya Forestry Association (KFS), the
Integrated Natural Resources Society (INRS) and the World Agro Forestry Centre (WAC).
These organisations were chosen purposively, based on the nature of their work that deeply
involves them in the area of biodiversity. Key informant interviews were held with the
identified respondents’ central to issues regarding biodiversity and the institutional
frameworks within the respective organisations or agencies.
The key informant interviews were based on a standardized questionnaire that was used in the
process of data collection. This choice was found very relevant because officials and
individuals with detailed knowledge regarding this subject matter are usually found within
specialised institutions dealing with the broader area of biodiversity. Personal interviews
made it possible to get further contacts of individuals known to have extensive knowledge in
this area. This also made it easy for the researcher to access some of the drafted periodicals,
bills, policies and information construed to be confidential in terms of reports and discussion
on mission statements. All these had the effect of increasing reliability of the provided data.
At the sub-national level the key informant interviews were found at the district and
provincial levels. A total of 18 key informant interviews were administered for this survey.
Overall, the research was done at two levels; at the national /sub-national mapping, and at the
local level.
The local level mapping survey
A local mapping survey based on individual households was carried out between the months
of July and September 2006. The total number of households studied was 220. These were
located in Kakamega District, Western Kenya. Specifically, the study included all
administrative divisions that make up Kakamega, apart from the Municipality division. These
included: Shinyalu, Ikolomani, Ileho, and Lurambi. The principal sampling point was the
location which is the lowest administrative unit of the decentralization structure in Kenya.
Households visited were arranged into clusters. A total of 11 clusters, were sampled from the
26 district clusters. These clusters also fall under the sampling frame used by Kenya Central
Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Out of the 26 clusters obtained from the District Statistical Office
(DSO) in Kakamega, the researcher was able to identify eligible enumeration areas. It is
important to point out that each cluster contained 168 households. The above clusters are
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