Destroy Mau Forest and forget L. Nakuru Park

• Water has been receding and may be non-existent in under a decade

Lake Nakuru may be extinct in another eight years if the current destruction in the Mau East is not contained, experts have warned.

The after effects of the destruction has led to the lake receding, and this will eventually lead to its death in under a decade.

Other lakes affected are Baringo, Bogoria, Natron and Turkana.

Kenya Wildlife Service director Julius Kipng’entich said the impact on the encroachment of human settlement started being felt after the excision of 67,000 acres.

This, he said affected the rivers which had been draining into the lake, with some drying up or becoming seasonal.

River Njoro’s water volume has gone down by more than 75 per cent, while the Mara River is only one-twelfth of its original volume.

He pointed out that without fresh water draining into the lake, the algae plant will no longer find its way into the lake, and the famous Flamingo birds associated with the lake will no longer survive; the birds feed on the plant.

The director said the impact would affect the Lake Nakuru National Park which is a leading tourist attraction.

“If we lose the park, we will have shown the world that we are irresponsible and careless as a country,” he says.

The wildlife in the park depend on the Lake for survival, and they would have no other source of water if the lake dried up.

The director spoke weeks ago to a team led by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and three ministers who visited the park to assess the impact of the destruction.

The ministers were Charity Ngilu, Noah Wekesa and James Orengo. Others in the team were assistant ministers Ramadahani Kajembe and Simeon Lesirma.

The situation, however, according to KWS could be salvaged if stringent measures are enforced to save the catchment.

Already, a task force has been formed to address the destruction of the catchment area and will be expected to make recommendations to the Government.

Rift Valley provincial commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan who is the chairman of the enforcement committee says there has been drastic improvement since the task force was set up.

There are more than 162 officers drawn from the KWS, Kenya Forest Service, Administration Police and Narok county council.

Some of the activities that have been contained include illegal logging, charcoal burning and cultivation in the forest.

The officers’ task on the ground is to stop any further invasion and rehabilitate the damaged areas with the involvement of the communities.

A management plan will be drawn for the forests which is a source of 12 rivers.

The PC said the personnel needed to be doubled and transport improved as a short term measure in the crusade to restore the forests.

It is estimated that there are 25,000 people who either legally or illegally have settled in both Mau East and Mau West.

The Government plans to resettle them elsewhere and fence off the water tower, one of the five in the country.

“We will have a humane approach in addressing the resettlement and we will not forcefully evict people as it has happened in the past,” said Mr Odinga.

Development partners such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the United States International Development Agency and the United Nation Environmental Programme are in the fore front in supporting the Government initiative.

A lobby, Friends of Mau (Fomawa) which is based in Nakuru is full of praise for the Government plan to restore the catchment area.

“It’s the past governments, which are responsible for the sorry state of affairs. It’s only the Government which has the ability to take steps which are necessary to start the long process of recovery,” an official, Mr Jacob Mwanduka observed.

Some of the recommendations that the lobby suggests are to promptly mark out the boundaries of Masaai Mau, starting with the Eastern side. The Government should resettle those with title deeds and consider removing those without them.

Further encroachment

The Kenya Forest Service should also provide additional support to prevent further encroachment in particular into Ol Pusimoru Forests.

And as efforts are made to restore the catchment, it is felt more has to be done to get the much needed impact. Egerton University has been involved in efforts to rehabilitate the Njoro River which is also polluted.

The European Union has in the past given Sh436 million for the rehabilitation of the Rift Valley lakes of Nakuru, Naivasha, Baringo, Elementaita and Bogoria.

Friends of Lake Nakuru Park Action Group led by the Nakuru Lodge has also been creating awareness among residents to guard against polluting the lake.

The group has members from the hospitality industry which include leading hotels in the town such as Lake Nakuru Lodge, Sarova, Merica and Bontans.

An official, Mr Joseph Muya, has warned that pollution will affect the bio-diversity of the park.

He points out that with the drying up the lake, the economic lifeline of Nakuru Town and its environs will affected immensely.