Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience of Electricity Transmission Infrastructure: The Role of Socio-Economic Factors in Kajiado County, Kenya

Electricity transmission infrastructure faces mounting climate hazards compounded by socio-economic pressures in Kajiado County, Kenya. This mixed-methods study examines how socio-economic conditions shape infrastructure resilience by integrating ordinal regression, Spearman correlation, and thematic analysis. Data were collected from 87 transmission experts (questionnaire) and 10 key informants (interviews). Quantitative results demonstrate that socio-economic factors significantly predict infrastructure resilience (β = 0.594, p = 0.046; ρ = 0.273, p = 0.028). Qualitatively, financial constraints, governance weaknesses, vandalism, and land-use encroachment emerge as primary vulnerability drivers. Notably, a perceptual gap exists: stakeholders emphasize environmental factors in 26% of responses, yet quantitative analysis reveals socio-economic and institutional drivers as statistically dominant. The model explains 17.5% of variance (Nagelkerke R² = 0.175), suggesting additional institutional dimensions not fully captured. This study concludes that infrastructure resilience in resource-constrained, semi-arid regions depends critically on socio-economic strengthening, governance effectiveness, and integrated community engagement. Integrating socio-economic impact assessment into resilience frameworks is essential for sustainable electricity transmission infrastructure.

electricity transmission infrastructure, resilience

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