The Luo Indigenous Religious Beliefs and Cultural Practices of Environmental Preservation: A Case of Lower Nyakach: Kisumu County, Kenya

Vollständiger Abstract

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Environmental degradation remains one of the greatest challenges confronting humanity despite advances in science, technology, and environmental policy. In many African societies, indigenous religious beliefs and cultural practices have historically played a significant role in regulating human interaction with nature. However, modernization, Christianity, formal education, globalization, and socio-economic transformations have altered traditional environmental management systems. This study examined the persistence of indigenous religious beliefs and cultural practices that promote environmental preservation among the Luo community of Lower Nyakach in Kisumu County, Kenya. Specifically, it investigated the extent to which traditional ecological knowledge continues to influence environmental stewardship despite increasing exposure to foreign religions and modern lifestyles. The study employed a mixed-methods research design, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected through questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observation. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Bayesian correlation analysis, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that although indigenous environmental beliefs have declined due to modernization and religious transformation, many traditional conservation practices continue to shape community attitudes toward biodiversity conservation, sacred sites, vegetation protection, and sustainable farming. Sacred forests, protection of particular plant and animal species, respect for ancestral sites, and the continued use of indigenous agricultural practices remain important mechanisms of environmental stewardship. Nevertheless, harmful beliefs, declining traditional authority and reduced intergenerational transmission of indigenous knowledge threaten the sustainability of these practices. The study concludes that indigenous religious beliefs remain an essential component of community-based environmental conservation and recommends integrating indigenous ecological knowledge into national environmental policies, educational curricula, and community conservation programmes to strengthen sustainable environmental management.