County plans race to conserve Lake, woo investors

Siaya County Government has embarked on a multimillion Yala ecosystem conservation project in a bid to woo investment in eco-tourism.

The county in partnership with Seeds of Peace Africa (Sopa) and Athletics Kenya (AK) is set to host its second edition of Lake Kanyaboli Half Marathon on September 3, to mobilise more funds for the project.

The marathon targets to raise about Sh150 million for the construction of Benjamin Limo Sports Complex in the region.

In a region where sports has not been properly tapped for economic gain, the event will help nurture talents as well as create awareness on the need to conserve the Yala ecosystem for prosperity.

Governor Cornell Rasanga told Nation.co.ke on Wednesday that the marathon will anchor Siaya as a destination for tourism and investment.

“We are endowed with massive resources such as land spaces, rivers Nzoia and Yala, Lake Victoria and Lake Kanyaboli (second largest Ox-bow Lake in Africa), yet we still import food stuff from other regions,” he said.

There is need to tap into these huge resources to become food sufficient, Mr Rasanga said.

“We are worried that some people are endangering these resources through encroachments. The marathon will raise awareness on the need to conserve our heritage for future generations,” he said.

Mr Ambrose Ong’wen, the chairman of Sopa, said the event will revive the region’s lost glory in athletics, noting that before Rift Valley region took over as giants of athletics, Siaya was known to produce queens and kings in short races.

“Today, we have been edged out of athletics. We want to ensure our young stars are trained and empowered to effectively do sporting and become professional athletes,” he said.

The swamp is the home to Sitatunga antelope, monkeys, and unique species of birds that can only be found in South America, he added.

With growing pressure on the swamp, environmental experts argue that there is need for strategic management plan for the lake without necessarily endangering the animal and bird species.

Mr Ong’wen noted that ecotourism is underexploited in the region, yet Siaya has very expansive tourism attraction sites such as Got Ramogi, Got Akara and unique rock formations around the lake.

For quite a long time fishing has been the source of livelihood among people living around the swamp, but with dwindling fish stock, locals are opting into harvesting papyrus reeds for mat making.

The county recently launched Sports, Culture, Investment and Tourism expo dabbed destination Siaya Kababa 2015 to showcase its areas of potential interest to investors.