Research Thesis  Submitted  in  Fulfilment  of  the  Requirements  for  the  Degree  of  Doctor  of   Philosophy  in  Economics, School of Economic & Business Sciences Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA / The world is facing a sustainability crisis due to depletion and degradation of environmental and natural resources faster than they can be generated. Many of these resources are not partitioned by private property rights, and are held as state property, common property, or as open-access. Common Property Resources (CPRs) have two distinct attributes: (1) limited or nontrivial exclusion (it is difficult to exclude multiple individuals or users from appropriating from the resource) and (2) substractability (the resource features rivalry in consumption), meaning that appropriation by one reduces the overall resource availability and thus, subtracts from what can be appropriated by others. Examples include fisheries, grazing lands, irrigation systems, and ground water basins. Because no one has property rights or control over such resources, users of CPRs are frequently assumed to be caught in an inescapable dilemma - overexploitation of the resource. Thus, unlike the ‘invisible hand’ of Adam Smith in competitive markets, in the case of CPRs the self-interested behavior does not yield economic efficiency or optimal outcome or Pareto optimality. This study sought to understand the evolution of management dynamics and operation of governance structures developed by resource users and other stakeholders in three large scale CPRs in Kenya. The objectives are to (1) examine the evolution of management dynamics. (2) Examine the management model applied and its functioning. (3) Explore the governance structures and challenges of implementing them. (4) Explore critical variables related to user groups, institutional arrangements and external environment in the resource system. (5) Suggest measures to improve on the management and governance of the resource system. In addition, the study gives a comparative analysis of the management models applied in the three CPR systems. The general theoretical literature on CPRs has focused mainly on two basic but important conditions or categories. First, small scale communally owned and governed resources, in ii terms of the physical or geographical size of the resource system with well-defined boundaries. Secondly, group or users size, characterized by small numbers with similar identities and interests. This study therefore, contributes to literature by using large scale CPR case studies in terms of physical size of resource system and number of users and examining the evolution and dynamics in the management model and governance structures. A Qualitative Research (QR) methodology is adopted and analytical tools of institutional analysis and an empirical foundation based on field data applied. A survey research design is used. Both primary and secondary data was sourced and a pilot study was conducted to test reliability of research instruments. Data is documented, compiled and presented in form of tables, figures and general descriptions. Data analysis and synthesising is done by working through the data to arrive at a conclusion to answer the research questions and achieve the purpose of the study. The study findings show that management and governance issues in the three CPRs have evolved over time both in terms of the scale and involvement of other stakeholders in decision making process in the resource system. Specifically, the collaborations among state agencies, other stakeholders and resource users through their associations has enabled monitoring and enforcement not only be effective but also legitimate and consequently, lead to sustainable resource use. The management models used in the three CPR case studies are identified as the Partnership Fisheries Management (PFM) in Lake Victoria fishery, Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) in Mwea Rice Irrigation Scheme and Holistic Management Framework (HMF) in Laikipia group grazing lands. The governance structures applied in the three CPRs are generally position, boundary, choice or authority, aggregation, information, payoff and scope rules. The degree of application of each set of rules however, depends on the nature of the resource system. They are designed, developed, implemented, monitored, enforced, sanctioned and arbitrated by the resource users, state lead agencies, departments and ministries iii and other stakeholders or actors. Each of these actors are involved in varying degrees in the various phases depending on their role and interest in the resource system. The management and governance structures can be strengthened and improved by enhancing certain administrative, health, safety, environmental issues and increased state support and involvement in the resource system. The co-management model design which is applied in the three CPRs yield various benefits to the resource-dependent community, public, state and resource system because it incorporates state and local (resource users) managers in decision making. However, the degree of participation of other stakeholders, challenges faced and other internal and external factors, depend on the nature of CPR, ownership and control of the CPR by resource users and the technical infrastructural investments required for the operation of the system. These results add to existing knowledge on Sustainable Development (SD) environment nexus by providing facts to multidisciplinary environmental and natural resources scholars regarding the dynamics of large scale CPR systems. Provide an in depth understanding of CPR management issues for the formulation of national strategies for SD, fisheries, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), and irrigation farming. Lastly, they provide ways of responding to increasing challenges of shared water resources (Lake Victoria) in addition to strengthening of relations within the East African Community (EAC). Key words: Actors, bio-physical and community attributes Common Property Resources, governance structures, institutions, large scale, management models, resource users, resource systems / GR2018

The Nandi Hills and Nandi Forests in Nandi County, Kenya are major water catchments for Lake Victoria. However, these resources have faced significant decline and degradation in recent times, thereby impacting the hydrological quality and quantity in the Lake Victoria Basin. This study was informed by the observed degradation of the Nandi Hills and Nandi Forests, epitomized by the receding forest cover, drying up of previously permanent streams, instances of mudslides and rock falls, and downstream flooding. The study therefore sought to interrogate the current institutional environmental and educational arrangements and practices which are pertinent to the sustainable management of the Nandi Hills Forests, the perceptions and understandings of the local population in terms of forest resources and land use, and the information that can be provided by GIS and Remote Sensing data, in order to produce a heuristic for planning community environmental education in the Nandi County. To achieve this, a mixed methodological design which incorporated both qualitative and quantitative data was embraced. The mixed method approaches used in this study were the concurrent triangulation and nested/embedded designs. A four-tier analysis was carried out once all the data had been coded and grouped. The analysis covered three categories of the population in the study area; namely the households, institutions and community groups, and analysis of Landsat images for change detection. The study reveals that there are several state and non-state institutions that are involved in the management of the Nandi Hills Forests and that their efforts have seen an improvement in the perceptions of the local population in terms of the importance of environmental management of the forests. Analysis of the Landsat images has revealed receding natural forest cover. The contribution of informal, local and indigenous knowledge to sustainable management of the Nandi Hills Forest was notable (85 percent of the population attribute their knowledge on forests and forestry to informal knowledge sources). These results informed the development of a heuristic to enable the adoption of strategies using readily accessible, though loosely applicable, information for problem solving in developing and implementing community environmental education practices for effective forest management and conservation practices that are responsive to the needs of the Nandi Forest community.

The diversity of African Conflicts has become a field of inquiry and drawn the attention of many scholars who wish to theorize the origin of these conflicts. Such conflicts were perceived, in many ways, as originating from a colonial legacy. However, conflicts over natural resources have always played a role in human society, and have retarded socio-development in many countries. Guy Martin acknowledges that, over the last 40 years, Africa has been and continues to be one of the most conflict-ridden regions of the world; this has resulted in untold human suffering (Guy, 2002:185-188). This study focuses on resource conflicts and their outcomes on Public Administration as a discipline. The discussion offers a theoretical review of academic literature in combination with an analysis of the feature of resource conflicts and the relevant policies which govern conflict resolution and management. According to Terry et al (2007:32), “these two regions suffered from developmental and educational ignorance”. Most of the people living in this area are pastoralists; as such, the violence emanating from cattle rustling within Sudan and across its borders with Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia continues to erode their moral fabric. The remoteness of the area has caused it to be a landscape of conflicts and insecurity and might have been cause for the paralysis of public administration and, in turn, reflected in poor service delivery. During the course of the study, an orderly and systematic use of mixed methods was chosen, since quantitative and qualitative research methods were found to be complementary rather than oppositional approaches. Using both prominent and modest collection procedures, the methods employed in this study proved to be practical and useful. The study examines resource conflict between the Turkana of Kenya and the Toposa of South Sudan. It suggests practical strategies and mechanisms by which the problem will be ameliorated, here and elsewhere, in as far as providing effective and efficient service delivery to the community without fail.