Human and Natural Factors in the Deterioration of Indigenous Irrigation Furrows in Marakwet, Kenya
Daniel Kipkorir, Joram Kareithi

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.

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