Abstract:
Quarrying is an excavation process involving abstracting materials, which are
neither fuel nor minerals in nature from rocks. The ever-increasing development
and construction in major urban centres worldwide have necessitated the need
for quarries to provide materials for construction. This has led to detrimental
environmental and social economic impacts which are usually ignored at the
expense of economic pursuit by developers. The study focused on assessing the
socioeconomic impacts of stone quarrying in Narok Town Ward, Narok North
Sub-County, Kenya. The target population were quarry workers, the residents
and government agency officials dealing with environmental management. The
study employed a descriptive research design where both quantitative and
qualitative techniques were used. Stratified sampling and random sampling
techniques were used during the study. Questionnaires, interviews, observations
and photography were used to collect data during the survey. Descriptive
statistics, percentages, frequencies and correlation were used to analyze data in
Microsoft software MS Excel and SPSS. Findings have been presented
descriptively, quantitatively and qualitatively. Quarrying activities in Narok
Town ward have played an important role in the economic development and
infrastructural development, however it has brought about negative social issues
such as a change in social fabrics, conflicts, displacement, and health-related
issues. The correlation coefficient (r=0.705, P<0.001) show a positive
correlation between the severity of dust and respiratory illnesses among the
respondents. The respondents strongly agreed that quarrying activities have led
to the creation of employment in the area. The study recommends that
Stakeholders should put efforts into the mitigation of negative outcomes of
quarrying activities that lead to the disruption of livelihoods. Community
