A rapid assessment of the loss and damage caused by the rising water levels in Lakes Baringo and Bogoria have been concluded.
The assessment is part of government’s efforts to strengthen climate resilience in Baringo county.
It was carried out by a multi-agency team that included experts from the Climate Change Directorate, the Department of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing, Kenyatta University, and other stakeholder institutions.
Lakes Baringo and Bogoria are among the water bodies in Rift Valley that have been rising, with devastating consequences.
Studies have linked the phenomena to human activityand changes in underground permeability.
The team conducted field assessments and engage directly with affected communities from July 1 to July 3.
The team collected data on the impacts of the prolonged rise in lake levels, providing a clearer picture of the challenges facing the region.
One of the team members who spoke on condition of anonymity confided to the Star that the report of the rapid assessment is meant to be compiled internally.
The source said there are plans to conduct an extensive study towards the end of the year targeting all lakes and water bodies that have so far risen.
“The affected families were engaged during the field assessment,” the source said.
The assessment findings of the field study will form the basis for evidence-based recommendations to support climate adaptation planning, guide recovery efforts and inform both national and county government policies on resilience and sustainable development.
The report is also expected to strengthen Kenya's efforts to access climate finance for loss and damage interventions.
The exercise is being led by the Climate Change Directorate, Kenya's National Focal Point to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
The assessment seeks to identify areas affected by the rising waters, determine the extent of the damage and gather evidence to guide future interventions.
The assessment comes amid continued concerns over the persistent rise in the water levels of Lakes Baringo and Bogoria, which has displaced families, destroyed infrastructure, submerged farmland and disrupted tourism and other economic activities in Baringo county.
The exercise focuses on the impacts of flooding on homes, public infrastructure, livelihoods and biodiversity, with the aim of developing practical and sustainable solutions to address the challenges facing Baringo county.
The findings are expected to inform national and county government policies on climate adaptation and resilience while supporting efforts to mobilise resources through the international Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
Stakeholders also hope the exercise will strengthen disaster preparedness and reduce the vulnerability of communities living around Lakes Baringo and Bogoria to future climate-related risks.
The rapid assessment comes days after Kenya scored a major victory in the global fight against climate change after becoming the first country in Africa and only the second in the world to secure technical assistance from the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage.
Through the breakthrough, the country will receive support valued at aboutSh90 million to conduct a comprehensive assessment of climate-related loss and damage suffered across the country over the last decade.
The milestone was announced June 9, on the side lines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Subsidiary Bodies Climate Meeting in Bonn, Germany.
The funds will enable Kenya to undertake a nationwide assessment aimed at documenting the impacts of climate change and generating evidence to guide policy decisions, planning and resource mobilisation.
The findings are expected to strengthen the country's ability to respond to climate-related challenges and build resilience against future environmental shocks.
The development was formally communicated to Festus Ng’eno, the Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change,by Santiago Network representative Elizabeth Carabine during the ongoing climate negotiations in Bonn.
The achievement places Kenya at the forefront of climate action in Africa and highlights the country's growing influence in global climate discussions.
Ng’eno was accompanied by National Environment Management Authority director general Mamo Mamo, Netfundchief executive officer Samson Toniok, Climate Change Directorate director Dr Pacifica Ogola and other officials.
The latest recognition comes as Kenya continues to roll out ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation programmes aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience.
In April last year, Kenya submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations, committing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent by 2035, equivalent to avoiding 75.25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The rise in water levels has been witnessed since September 2010, significantly affecting adjacent areas in 2013 and again since 2019 to date.
The affected communities have endured disruptions to livelihoods and lost assets such as homes, grazing and farming fields to floods.
The rising waters have destroyed social amenities like learning institutions (especially primary and secondary schools), health facilities, markets, fish landing and processing facilities, once-thriving hotels, curio shops, resorts and lodges, electricity lines, water supply and sanitation units (boreholes, shallow wells, sanitation facilities), as well as roads, forcing many to use boat transport to access services across flooded areas.
The major effects include loss of lives and livelihoods, injury, an outbreak of disease, legal issues, safety and security concerns, and ecological or environmental degradation.
For instance, Lake Baringo had a water area of 118kilometres squared in 1995, the lowest value in 1984 to 2020.
The water area expanded by more than 52 per cent in the years 2014 and 2020 to reach 195 kilometres squared.
The water area of Lake Solai, a smaller and less-known lake south of Lake Bogoria, increased from three kilometres squared in 1984 to nearly 12 kilometres squared in 2014 and 2020, a four-fold increase.
The water level of Lake Solai increased by 8.5 metres, followed by Baringo (8.2 metres), Naivasha (7.5 metres), Nakuru (6.4 metres), Bogoria (5 metres) and Elementaita with 2.4 metres.
For most lakes, the highest levels were found around 2013-14 – until 2020, in which new record maximums were observed.
To put this into perspective, the water level rise of more than eight metres between the 1980s and 1990s for Lake Baringo and Lake Solai is equivalent to the height of around two storeys of a typical building.
For instance, Lake Baringo had a water area of 118kilometres squared in 1995, the lowest value in 1984 to 2020. The water area expanded by more than 52 per cent in the years 2014 and 2020 to reach 195 kilometres squared.
In 2021, the government said it needed more than Sh17 billion to fix the challenges faced as a result of the rising lakes.
A revised report titled 'Rising Water Levels in Kenya’s Rift Valley Lakes, Turkwel Gorge Dam and Lake Victoria' said Sh3.1 billion is needed for immediate interventions.
Another Sh233 million is needed for short-term interventions and Sh8.27 million for medium-term interventions.
The National Security Advisory Committee in 2020 recommended the Ministry of Environment constitute a multiagency technical committee to assess the socio-economic impacts and causes of the rising water levels within the Great Rift Valley Lakes, the Turkwel Gorge Dam and Lake Victoria.
Six teams visited the lakes and the Turkwel Gorge Dam from October 21 to November 1 to assess the scope of the changes.
They were to lakes Turkana, Logipi, Bogoria, Baringo, Nakuru, Elementaita, Solai, Naivasha, Ol Bolossat, Magadi, Ewaso Ngiro South and Victoria.
The teams were tasked to report on the status of the rising water levels and the allied socioeconomic impacts with a view to making recommendations on required interventions.
The report also captures the implications of the rising water levels for security, the ecological changes, previous record of changes in the lakes, the catchment area dynamics, the geological setting that control the flows into and out of the lakes and possible litigation from the affected communities.
The results from the scoping mission reveal a complex interplay of hydro-meteorological factors, land-use change dynamics, as well as the geology and morphological setting of the lakes that have relatively influenced the current phenomenon.
The long periods of rising water levels in these lakes have generated a humanitarian crisis. Some 75,987 households have been displaced in 13 counties, with 379,935 people requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
The 168-page report says long-term interventions need Sh6.3 billion, bringing the total amount, according to the report, to Sh18 billion.
