Subdivision, farming in Naivasha littoral land threaten lake

The subdivision, inappropriate land use practices and degradation along the shores of Lake Naivasha, are the latest threats facing the basin with experts warning it could spell the end of the lake if unchecked.

Conservationists are warning that this will add into the existing ones such as water abstraction, pollution and the impact of climate change.

The new threats are likely to threaten even further Lake Naivasha, one of the largest freshwater lakes and a wetland of international importance.

Experts say the unsustainable agriculture among smallholder farmers threatens the provision of ecosystem services and undermined its resilience.

They warn that the destruction of forests was causing water stress, gradually manifesting itself in the river base flows and fluctuation of the lake.

Lake Naivasha Riparian Association (LNRA) general manager Silas Wanjala said the ongoing subdivision spells doom for the lake and all those who depend on it.

“There are four parcels of land in the area between Kihoto settlement going northward that has title deeds yet they are on riparian area. The allocation happened in 1997 through collusion,” he said.

Wanjala said the association took the matter to National Land Commission in 2015.

“The NLC gave a ruling in 2016 and it found that the titles were irregularly allocated and revoked them,” he said.

Wanjala said the offended party sought refuge at the Environment and land court in Nakuru in 2018, to challenge NLC’s ruling.

“The judge in the ruling in 2020 noted that NLC went beyond its mandated by revoking the title as that is the mandate of the registrar of land before quashing NLC’s ruling.” 

Wanjala said the association has since petitioned the court where new directions will be given on January 23.

He said over 500 acacia trees have since been cleared and huge chunk of the parcel has been prepared in readiness for farming.

The onslaught that include the clearing of acacia trees in riparian areas to pave way for farming has also attracted the attention of the Kenya Forest Service.

KFS said its attention had been drawn to online comments on destruction of Acacia trees at Lake Naivasha which took place last week.

The service distanced itself from the clearing of the trees saying it has not authorised it.

“KFS wishes to clarify that at no time did it authorise the felling of the said trees and neither does the service condone such illegal activities. On the contrary KFS officers stopped the felling immediately upon receiving a tip off from a member of the public,” KFS said.

KFS said the incident's scene is within the riparian area of Lake Naivasha and its preliminary investigation points to land ownership tussle and incitement of the local community to convert the riparian land to agriculture.

“As such the service is engaging other relevant agencies to ensure the underlying issues are addressed.

The service encourages the members of the public to be alert and report any illegalities as forests and trees protection is a collective responsibility of all Kenyans. Any illegalities can be reported to our nearest offices or through our toll free line 080 0721277.”

Lake Naivasha was declared a Ramsar site in 1995, and an important horticultural hub.

The lake forms part of Aberdares, one of the major water towers.

Lake Naivasha is an important bird area with over 400 species and was designated in 1995 as a wetland of international importance. It is also a hub of Kenya’s flower industry.

The lake is of utmost economic importance as it contributes to Kenya’s GDP.

Seventy per cent of Kenya’s cut flower export generates an estimated nine per cent of the total foreign exchange revenue, contributing to almost 1.3 per cent of the country's GDP and 20 per cent of vegetable exports.

Aware of the increasing threats facing the basin, experts have put in place measures aimed at reversing the threats.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-Kenya has been training farmers along the basin on how to efficiently grow their crops with less impact on the environment, building their resilience to climate change while also reducing land degradation.

The project known as Green horticulture at Lake Naivasha was a four-year project (2018-21) funded by the European Union under Switch Africa Green Phase II.

The aim of the project was to shift such farms towards sustainable consumption and production and at the same time contribute towards green jobs provision and income improvement.

The project was also aligned to make the horticultural sector in Kenya and beyond, contribute towards a shift to a green economy by a large uptake of sustainable consumption and production practices along the supply chain, providing green jobs and reducing poverty.

Under the project, 146 smallholder farmers underwent rigorous training to sustainably grow vegetables.

These practices adopt soil and water conservation, use of manure, integrated pest management control, using natural pesticides where possible, and using pre-harvest intervals.

Experts are also racing against time to open up wildlife dispersal areas and corridors within the basin with the Mau Eburu ecosystem being given attention.

Experts have warned that failure to do so will lead to inbreeding, a process where more closely related than the average relationship within the breed or population are allowed to mate.

A scientist working with the Kenya Wildlife Service said inbreeding spells doom for the wildlife species particularly in Eburu.

“Wildlife is supposed to traverse long distance to look for breeding sites and salt licks. When corridors and dispersal areas are closed or blocked, inbreeding occurs,” said the scientist who requested anonymity.

“Once the same species inbreed, the genetic pool will collapse.”

The scientist cited the other effects of inbreeding to include increased genetic disorders, lower birth rate, and loss of immune system function, higher calf mortality and small adult size.

The scientist said species born out of inbreeding have weak body mechanism which can easily be affected whenever there are disease outbreaks.

He said once an animal species inbreed, they may have white calves.

A white giraffe made headlines in 2017 after its discovery at Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, with its unique white hide. It is white but not albino, because of a condition known as leucism.

The giraffe was however killed by poachers.

Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce dark pigment in their soft tissue, thus her eyes were dark in colour.

The scientists said such white wildlife species maybe as a result of inbreeding.

To avoid such incidences of inbreeding, the scientist called for the opening up of the wildlife dispersal areas and corridors within the Mau Eburu.

“We started mapping corridors in 2016, guided by wildlife movements since time immemorial. Wildlife used to move from the larger Mau-Lake Naivasha-Aberdares-Mount Kenya-Laikipia-Samburu-Marsabit and back,” he said.

Corridors and dispersal areas have however collapsed and those still available have been encroached.

Interestingly, it is over three years since the Ministry of Environment released a report showing that most wildlife dispersal areas and migratory corridors are under threat.

They have been interfered with by human activities and some have been blocked, said the Wildlife Migratory Corridors and Dispersal Areas report, released on July 26, 2017.

In the report, 58 migratory routes and corridors were identified in the report.

The report called for the mapping and securing of wildlife corridors as a strategy for reducing human-wildlife conflict and promoting environmental sustainability and equitable social development.

Mau Eburu forest is among the dispersal areas that have been blocked.

The forest is one of 22 gazetted forest blocks making up the vast 4,200-km2 Mau Forests Complex.

Eburu forms part of a wider Rift Valley ecosystem and conservation area encompassing Lakes Nakuru, Elementaita and Naivasha, the Soysambu Conservancy and the Mt Longonot and Hell’s Gate national parks.

The Eburu forest spans 87km2 of prime indigenous habitat on Mount Eburu.

Its highest peak, Ol Doinyo Eburu, stands 2,820 m above sea level, forming part of the catchment for Lakes Naivasha and Elementaita.

In March 2013, Rhino Ark, a local conservation NGO, started an integrated conservation project in the Mount Eburu ecosystem, in the Mau escarpment, with a comprehensive electric fence around the entire protected forest of nearly 9,000 hectares.

This natural forest, rich in biodiversity, is home to over 40 species of mammals, including the critically endangered Mountain Bongo antelope.

However, surrounded on all sides by human settlement, and impacted by illegal logging and charcoal burning, the forest cover had been seriously degraded and the wildlife decimated by bush meat hunting.

The 43.4 km long fence was completed in November 2014.

However, dispersal areas and corridors of wildlife had to be secured. This means an overpass was needed.

Landowner Renaldo Retief said old wildlife corridors have since been taken over.

“We need to protect what we can,” he said.

Retief said they have held several meetings with a view of securing the corridors and dispersal areas.

He said they have identified 50,000 acres from one of the owners that needs to be bought off as one way of securing the corridor.

However, he said, one acre goes for Sh3.5 million.

On the first of its kind overpass, Retief said there was need as the Moi North Lake road had contributed to a lot of road kills.

Some of the wildlife killed in the road in the recent past includes leopards, jackals, and impalas, among others.

Expected to cost over Sh200 million, the overpass has to be at a width of between 40 to 50 meters.

Experts from Canada have been working on the designs but the money for its construction is yet to be secured.

Trees and grass will also be planted for wildlife to be in natural habitat while crossing.

 

 

 

-Edited by SKanyara