Publishing Trends on Indigenous Knowledge Research in Kenya (2000 – 2023): A Bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge plays a critical role in Kenya’s socioeconomic development. Consequently, there has recently been greater appreciation and scholarly discourse on indigenous knowledge in Kenya and beyond, making it a popular and quickly expanding area of research. Despite the discourse on the subject, an updated study has yet to be conducted to map the publishing trends and research orientations on Indigenous knowledge in Kenya. This paper sought to establish and describe the pattern of research production and publications in indigenous knowledge in Kenya to provide a basis for future research. The study used a quantitative research design and a bibliographic analysis to examine the metrics of indigenous knowledge publications in Kenya as indexed by Google Scholar. The data for the study was retrieved by searching keywords “Indigenous Knowledge” or “traditional knowledge” using Harzing’s Publish or Perish (POP) software. This search obtained 114 articles relevant to keywords published from 2000 to 2013. The data revealed that Indigenous Knowledge research witnessed an irregular increase year after year. The study indicated that, compared to high impact, peer-reviewed databases, more articles on indigenous knowledge (IK) were located in local repositories. This indicates a progressive increase in the number of publications on IK in Kenya. The bulk of the examined papers focused on climate change, with articles on meteorology, medicinal plants, and conflicts between humans and wildlife coming in second and third. The results provide benchmarking data that can be used to drive future research, collaborations, and initiatives aimed at utilising the rich knowledge systems entrenched in Indigenous cultures for the good of society and the advancement of knowledge.