Lake Nakuru National Park is not "dead", contrary to the sentiments of Tourism CS Najib Balala two weeks ago.
Balala is ill-informed about the lake, according to scientists and Nakuru County Tour Operators and Hoteliers.
The CS had on March 26 said at a stakeholders' meeting in Naivasha, that the lake was "as good as dead" due to pollution and the migration of flamingoes from the water mass.
“To me, Lake Nakuru National Park is as good as dead… it is very sad. A number of trees have also withered,” Balala said at a Naivasha hotel.
The stakeholders said that the minister's statement was alarming to investors coming a few weeks before the start of the tourism season next month.
Flamingo Lakes Conservation Network CEO Jackson Raini dismissed the assertion that flamingoes had migrated due to pollution. Raini, who is a scientist, instead attributed the migration to increased water levels at the lake.
“There are about 5,000 flamingoes at the lake despite the increasing water levels. The untrue statement that the lake was dead is alarming and may cripple domestic tourism at the park,” he said.
He said the water had submerged the "Pink Carpet’s" habitat, hence their migration.
“Flamingos have also migrated because of diminishing algae, which is their main food. Algae thrive in highly salty water but the increased inflow of fresh water has diluted the lake’s salt, hence reducing the lake’s salinity levels.”
Nakuru County Tourism Association chairman John Mwangi echoed the scientist's sentiments. He Balala's views were widely publicised and many tour companies in Europe, South America and the Far East had been calling and threatening to cancel their bookings.
“With this kind of statement, clients both local and international are calling to inquire whether it’s still worthwhile to visit the park,” Mwangi said.
Sleepway Hotel CEO Simon Kiguta said the "false" alarm was raising a lot of concern to those in the hospitality industry.
The stakeholders asked Balala’s office to issue a statement on the lake to counter the March 26 one.
Lake Nakuru is the second most beautiful spot in the world, according to the highly informative journal National Geographic.
Lake Nakuru is the birdwatchers' paradise on the floor of Rift Valley. It is surrounded by wooded and bushy grasslands where over 400 bird species live.
The lake is also a Unesco World Heritage.
Mwangi challenged stakeholders and researchers to conduct a comprehensive study and offer solutions on how to improve the fortunes of the park.
Lake Nakuru was first gazetted as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968.
The park has Kenya’s largest population of rhinos. In peak seasons millions of flamingos and pelicans congregate at the lake.
Balala disclosed that the national government had set aside Sh300 million to create artificial waterfalls to boost tourism.
