An ongoing research seeking to find a solution to the degradation of lakes in the country has cited low funding of lake-focused programmes as one of the key challenges.
According to the findings of the researchers under the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation and University of Nairobi’s Department of Geology, most of the programmes are donor-driven.
The researchers noted that the lake-focused programmes receive very low financing from both national and county budgets making it difficult to implement them.
REVENUES NOT ENOUGH
“Revenues from levies which include the water use fees, fishing licenses and tourism access fees are not adequate to support basin management activities,” read a report by Prof Daniel Olago, Jackson Raini and International Lake Environment Committee Kenya team members.
The researchers under the Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM) have narrowed their study on three lakes which are significant water sources and supports a critical part of the ecosystem which include Victoria, Nakuru and Baringo.
COORDINATION NEEDED
“There is no specific institution responsible for holistic lake and catchment management at the national level and a cross-sectoral coordination framework is needed to address the lake basin management issues and their sustainable use,” further reads the report.
Among the factors that have led to the formation of the strategy include the recent swelling of lakes and pollution especially those located in the Rift valley.
Scientists are yet to come up with an explanation for the rising water levels in Rift Valley lakes.