WWF-Kenya kicks off restoration of Degraded Njoro River Basin
Snaking through Longoman Forest in Mau East past a host of expansive potato and maize farms into Lake Nakuru, River Njoro is a beauty to behold from afar.
The undulating hills and towering trees on this landscape are candy to the eye, but a step closer to the basin reveals a sad twist of events highlighted by degradation, deforestation and poor agricultural practices that are slowly eating away the river and its entire basin.
Nearby farms, industries and sewer lines that empty pesticides and raw waste into the river further add to the threats the river already faces.
While these activities threaten the existence of wildlife in Nakuru such as the flamingos, they also deny local communities access to clean and safe water.
To address these challenges and with support from The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), we are launching a four-year rehabilitation project in the basin to enhance ecosystem services and improve the livelihoods of the communities that call this expansive area home.
River Njoro itself stretches 60 kilometers while its catchment area covers 560 square kilometres with much of Nakuru town also forming part of the basin.
More than 300,000 people, wheat, barley and small-holder farmers, businesses in the tourism sector and wildlife in Lake Nakuru National Park depend on the river for survival.
During a four-day reconnaissance trip to the area led by our Kenya Rift Lakes Program Manager Dr William Ojwang, we engaged stakeholders to co-design activities for the restoration of the basin.
Stakeholders included officials from the Nakuru County government, Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, Egerton University, Water Resource Authority and Njoro Water Resources Users Association.
Written by Leopold Obi
