Abstract:
The study investigated the local strategies used in abating flash floods to determine their
contribution to improving community livelihoods in the Nyamwamba and Bulembia divisions
in Kasese Municipality, Kasese district in Uganda. It specifically dealt with three objectives;
(a) to establish the local strategies; (b) determine the challenges and (c) explored the
relationship between these strategies and community livelihood improvement in the most
affected areas. The study utilized a descriptive study design where both qualitative and
quantitative approaches were used to gather the data. It targeted a population of 480
individuals residing at the peripheries of these ever flooding river banks and selected 218
respondents to be interviewed and to fill in the self administered questionnaires .The key
findings were that local strategies assist to preserve economic stability of the residents and
contribute to community livelihood improvement ( that χ² = 30.45, sig=0.001,p-value <
0.05.). There was a significant relationship between local strategies and improving drainage
systems as well safeguarding agricultural productivity (χ² = 25.19, sig=0.002; p-value <
0.05). It was concluded that utilizing local flood control strategies contribute immensely to
better community health and results into fewer disruptions to daily life. The study
recommends for a deliberate policy to compel communities especially in those in the flood
prone Nyamwamba valley, to build away from the water marked channel, strengthen policy
support and institutional frameworks aimed at checking flood vulnerability, construct more
check dams, intensify community and stakeholder engagements, introduce community based
flood early warning systems and increase financial support towards community based flood
risk management initiatives.
