AN INVESTIGATION INTO TYPES AND EFFECTS OF HUMAN DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH TOURISM ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN AND AROUND THE MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYA

Despite the promise of prosperity that is the allure of tourism expansion, there is growing evidence of a list risk of negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of local populations. The study sought to determine the various types of human diseases prevalent in and around Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) and how their occurrence is influenced by tourist activities in MMNR. The study population constituted local communities in the area. In this regard, purposive and simple random sampling procedures were employed. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design utilizing observation, key informant interviews, analysis of secondary data, and semi-structured interviews as main methods of data collection. An interview schedule was used as the main instrument of data collection during the study. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques of data analysis were employed. The salient findings of the study were that tourist activities have brought about changes in the socio-economic and physical environment, which have also predisposed the local residents to various health hazards. It was also found that Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Gonorrhoea, Typhoid, Amoeba, Tuberculosis, and Cholera, the main human diseases generally found in the area were related to tourist activities. The study therefore concluded that tourism had an effect on the local communities in and around the MMNR. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the government through the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) and other stakeholders should ensure that strategies were in place to reduce disease occurrence in the area.