ABSTRACT: This study sought to assess the socio-economic contribution of Prosopis juliflora products into the livelihood of local communities living in Tana River and Garissa Counties, Kenya. Previous studies had indicated that the potential benefits of the species have not been well captured to mitigate its impacts and promote utilization contrary to the realities on the ground. Reality check shows that most communities where the species are prevalent in northern Kenya continue to utilise it for subsistence and commercial purposes. The study targeted Tana River and Garissa Counties in Kenya where both primary and secondary data were collected. Primary data was collected using two sets of semi-structured questionnaires that were administered to 150 randomly selected households involved in the harvesting, processing and marketing of prosopis products such as charcoal. The respondents were drawn from twenty-two (22) Charcoal Producers Associations in the study area. Quantitative and qualitative primary data was analysed using Predictive Analysis Software. The findings show that poles/posts, fuelwood and pods were the major products harvested from P. juliflora in the study areas. Its economic benefits translate to an annual income of Ksh 1,497,120 and Ksh 240,000 from charcoal and poles per producer respectively. It was further established that charcoal production and marketing was more entrenched in Tana River County compared to Garissa due to the social-cultural differences between the local communities in the two study areas. Prosopis product market awareness among the local communities was ranked high. Therefore, the study recommends that the local Community Participatory Management Teams be strengthened towards management and utilisation of P. juliflora, awareness creation be intensified on the social and economic benefits of P. juliflora, while linking the local communities to the market and undertaking legal reforms to support the utilization of P. juliflora through research and innovations.

Key Words: Benefits, Prosopis Products, livelihood, local communities