Kenya and Tanzania have stepped up joint efforts to protect the Mara River, with stakeholders adopting a 10-point action plan to reverse degradation of the transboundary water resource and safeguard millions of people and the Maasai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.
The plan targets restoration of degraded catchment areas, protection of water towers, control of pollution and excessive water abstraction, reduction of soil erosion and mitigation of climate change effects, which stakeholders warned are placing the 13,750-square-kilometre Mara River Basin under increasing pressure.
The resolutions were adopted at a stakeholders’ forum in Bomet during the 15th Mara Day celebrations.
Among the key measures agreed upon were intensified restoration of the Mau Forest Complex and other critical water towers through reforestation, bamboo planting and wetland rehabilitation, tighter regulation of water abstraction and stronger integrated water resources management.
Stakeholders also called for improved early-warning systems for floods and droughts, sustainable financing through mechanisms such as Payment for Ecosystem Services, stronger enforcement of environmental laws and harmonisation of policies between Kenya and Tanzania.
The forum further called for joint enforcement by the two countries and greater involvement of communities, Water Resource Users Associations, researchers, women and youth in protecting and restoring the basin.
The resolutions came against a backdrop of mounting environmental pressures, with the forum report estimating that the basin loses about 253,000 tonnes of sediment annually through soil erosion linked to degradation of the Mau Forest Complex, encroachment on riparian areas, unsustainable farming, overgrazing and pollution from agrochemicals and wastewater.
Stakeholders also identified rising demand for water from irrigation and industry, climate change and conflicts over water and land resources between upstream and downstream users as growing threats to the river.
Speaking during the celebrations, East African Community Cabinet Secretary (CS) Beatrice Askul said the shared nature of the Mara required Kenya and Tanzania to treat its conservation as a common responsibility.
“The Mara River Basin does not recognise borders and neither can our commitment to its protection,” she said.
She said declining water quality, degradation of upstream watersheds, pressure on forests and increasing demand for water were threatening the health of the river, whose ecosystem supports communities, livestock, wildlife, wetlands, tourism and agriculture.
Askul said Kenya and Tanzania needed to deepen cooperation in integrated water management, catchment protection and climate-resilient livelihoods.
She commended communities, counties, youth, women and development partners for participating in clean-up campaigns, tree planting and other conservation initiatives, saying sustainable protection of the river had to begin with people living closest to it.
Water Cabinet Secretary Erick Mugaa said Kenya had intensified monitoring of activities within the basin as part of efforts to improve water quality and promote sustainable use of the resource.
He said the government had installed hydrometers along the Kenyan stretch of the river to generate real-time information on water flows and pollution loads entering Tanzania.
“We have done this to monitor the river and what gets in, including runoff water as it flows to Tanzania. This will enable us to use real-time data to make informed decisions,” Mugaa said.
He said Kenya’s collaboration with Tanzania had strengthened conservation efforts and reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to the memorandum of understanding on joint management of the Mara River.
Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) Executive Secretary Dr Masinde Bwire said the stakeholders’ forum had produced a commitment to move from discussions to implementation.
“The most important outcome is not simply that we have discussed challenges. We have agreed that the time for action is now,” Dr Bwire said.
He said the Mara supported more than 1.5 million migratory animals and millions of people but continued to face floods, droughts, sedimentation and declining water quality.
Dr Bwire urged development partners, including conservation organisations, to shift from short-term projects to long-term programmes capable of building resilience within communities and ecosystems.
“The future of the Mara River will ultimately be determined by the decisions we make and the actions we take today,” he said.
Bomet Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok said the county would strengthen protection of riparian areas and expand bamboo planting as part of efforts to conserve the river at its source.
Bomet hosts the sources of the Amalo and Nyangores rivers, whose waters combine to form the Mara River before it flows into Tanzania.
The Mara River Basin covers about 13,750 square kilometres and contributes an estimated 4.5 per cent of inflows into Lake Victoria.
It is also central to the annual wildebeest migration between the Maasai Mara and Serengeti ecosystems.
The 15th Mara Day celebrations, held under the theme “Mara River, Diverse Lives: Keep It Thriving”, brought together officials from Kenya and Tanzania, conservation organisations, communities, development partners and other stakeholders.
The celebrations are held alternately between Kenya and Tanzania and were last hosted by Tanzania in Butiama in 2025.
by Chris Mahandara
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.