Wetlands International Supervisory Council accompanied by Wetlands International Management Team visited Kenya between 4th and 8th December 2017. The group led by a diverse team of experts from different countries visited some of Wetlands International Kenya’s programme sites and engaged with the community at various levels, offering strategic and technical guidance on programme interventions. Apart from that, they were provided with insights into the Kenya’s office activities and how the team works to promote sustainable conservation and management of wetlands in the region.
Among the programmes visited was the Watershed – empowering citizens programme, which aims at strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations to deliver improved water governance in Kenya, and it is being implemented in the Athi and Upper Ewaso Ng’iro North Catchment areas. In addition to visiting the programme sites, the team held stakeholders’ meeting in Kajiado County bringing together different actors including the County Government, Water Resources Users Association (WRUAs), Water Resources Authority (WRA), and the community, to discuss how water resources in the County could be conserved and managed, policy perspectives, key successes, challenges faced, and lessons learnt.
The team also visited Lake Magadi, one of the Rift Valley lakes. The Rift Valley, which stretches all the way from Ethiopia into Kenya, Uganda and Malawi has lakes that not only include Lake Magadi, but also Lakes Natron, Abijatta, Shalla and Albert, among others. These lakes host a diverse population of birds in the world some of which are globally threatened. They also support millions of people with drinking water (especially the freshwater ones), food and livelihoods. The communities and populations of birds that depend on the lakes are under threat as the quality and quantity of the water in the lakes is depleting. Upstream and around the lakes, there has been a considerable growth in agricultural activity as well as erosion due to unsustainable land use practices. At the same time there is an increase in water pollution levels due to the use of agro-chemicals as well discharge by the industries. It is for this reason that Wetlands International has identified the Rift Valley lakes as an ecoregion of priority focus. We have started work in the Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes (Lakes Ziway, Shala and Abijatta) and the Albertine Rift so far. Our vision is to ensure that conservation of the Rift Valley Lakes for both People and Nature.