Multipurpose trees and shrubs are vital components of arid and semiarid ecosystems. They offer both regulatory and production services, yet there is inadequate information on their actual use and factors affecting utilization of these plant resources. A study was carried out in three agroecological zones (counties) of southeastern Kenya: Machakos (subhumid zone), Kajiado (semiarid zone), and Kitui (arid zone). The research objective was to assess the local uses of multipurpose trees and shrubs and determine how socioeconomic factors (gender, type of occupation, and education level) influenced their use. A field survey was conducted along a 324-km transect across the three agroecological zones. Data were collected from 196 respondents using focus group discussions, key informants, and individual household questionnaires. A total of 86 plant species belonging to 47 plant families were recorded. The Mann-Whitney U-test revealed that women significantly used a higher number of different plant species than men (P < 0.05). The level of education and type of occupation also significantly affected plant use (P < 0.05), with subsistence farmers having primary or no formal education, reporting the highest number of species. Fifteen plant-use categories comprising production and service provision were identified. Plant species use-value index (UVI) revealed 10 indigenous and wild woody species of high value in the study area. Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne had the highest UVI of 0.33, followed by Commiphora africana (A. Rich.) Engl. (0.17), Terminalia brownii Fres. (0.13), and Zanthoxylum chalybeum Engl. (0.12). There was a significant positive correlation between the reporting frequency for woody species and the overall UVI (P < 0.05). Economic development, climate change, and land use changes jeopardize distribution, utilization, and knowledge preservation of multipurpose woody species. There is a need for monitoring and adoption of gender-sensitive strategies for their sustainable utilization in order to safeguard these unique plant resources from degradation and overexploitation.

多用途树木和灌木是干旱和半干旱生态系统的重要组成部分。它们提供监管和生产服务，但有关其实际用途以及影响这些植物资源利用的因素的信息不足。在肯尼亚东南部的三个农业生态区（县）中进行了一项研究：Machakos（半湿润区），Kajiado（半干旱区）和Kitui（干旱区）。研究目的是评估多功能树木和灌木在当地的使用，并确定社会经济因素（性别，职业类型和教育水平）如何影响其使用。沿三个农业生态区的324公里断面进行了实地调查。使用焦点小组讨论，关键信息提供者和个人家庭问卷调查从196位受访者中收集数据。记录了属于47个植物科的总共86种植物。曼恩·惠特尼（Mann-Whitney）U检验表明，女性使用的植物种类明显多于男性（P <0.05）。受教育程度和职业类型也显着影响植物的使用（P <0.05），自给自足的农民接受初等教育或没有接受过正规教育，所报告的物种数量最高。确定了包括生产和服务提供在内的15种植物用途类别。植物物种使用价值指数（UVI）显示了该研究区域中10种高价值的本土和野生木本物种。洋相思（Forssk。）Hayne的UVI最高，为0.33，其次是非洲Commiphora（A. Rich。）Engl。（0.17），榄仁榄仁。（0.13）和花椒Engl。（0.12）。木本物种的报告频率与总体UVI之间存在显着的正相关（P <0.05）。经济发展，气候变化和土地利用变化会危害多功能木本物种的分布，利用和知识保存。为了保护这些独特的植物资源免于退化和过度开发，有必要监测和采用对性别问题敏感的战略以实现其可持续利用。