The study was conducted in Awash National Park (ANP), East Shewa Zone of Oromia National Regional Sate, Ethiopia, and aimed at determining the impact of parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) on soil chemical properties and assessing the current distribution of the weed in the Park. A transect belt of 13.5×0.10 km of parthenium weed infested land was identified. Four quadrats were purposively laid every 250 m interval two for infested and two for non-infested each from both sides of the road where the weed highly and uniformly distributed. A total of 216 soil samples were collected from the top 10 cm. Most of the soil parameters considered in this study were found to be better for the infested quadrats than non-infested quadrats, suggesting that parthenium weed does not impose adverse impact on soil nutrients. The distribution of the weed following the highway indicated that vehicular transportation could be the major way of dispersal in ANP. The control strategy should, thus, focus mainly on these factors without undermining the contribution of livestock and overgrazing.

Key words: Fentale Mountain, invasive alien species, sugar cane plantation.