Abstract
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The paper explores the degree to which community-based knowledge (CBK) and local institutions can be effective for disaster preparedness and management, based on a study carried out in Nametsi Parish, located on the slopes of Mount Elgon, in eastern Uganda. The study area has experienced innumerable landslides since 1933. Whereas a few of the landslides have not been disastrous, several others have had far-reaching effects on the livelihoods of people living in the area. This is attributed partly to the geographical setting, which makes the area difficult to access, and partly to socio-economic factors such as a high population growth rate and widespread poverty. Despite these aspects of vulnerability, communities in this area have survived by applying their local knowledge and establishing institutions for disaster preparedness and management. To some extent, the knowledge and local institutions have been effective, but in some cases they have not been effective in practice.