Description
The Kenya’s Lake Naivasha is a fragile ecosystem whose health is linked to management of the River Malewa Basin. Achieving the restoration targets of River Basins can resolve ecological issues of Lake Naivasha hence sustaining livelihoods of the households. This study examined the common drivers of degradation within the River Malewa basin and assessed how they contribute to the quality of Lake Naivasha and households’ livelihoods in the Naivasha Lake Basin. The study used Upstream-Downstream Theory of John McKinlay in 1975 to provide insights the balances between proactive and reactive approaches in solving problem. It used mixed approach to collect qualitative and quantitative data. RS and GIS, content analysis and systematic review of more than 90 relevant literatures were used to collect data. The target population was 88,093 households of Naivasha Municipality from the KPHC reports, 2019. It involved descriptive data analysis, temporal analysis of GIS data on LULC changes from 2005 to 2025, cross-examination of textual data and corroboration of qualitative and quantitative findings to draw conclusions. Study findings showed cropland expansions, forest land conversions and human settlements common in Malewa Basin. Water nutrient concentrations, and over-abstraction, 59,500m3/day contaminate lake water and lower water volume. This increases toxin accumulation in fish and reducing tourist attractions hence disrupts livelihood. The study recommends organic fertilizers instead of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous to reduce water contamination, objective metered abstraction like Pay as You Use (PAYU) system, and buffering all commercial croplands using Napier grass and Mullato II to absorb and prevent pilferage of unavoided agro-chemicals into the river.
| Title | RIVER MALEWA DEGRADATION AND THE PARALLEL IMPLICATIONS ON ENDORHEIC LAKE NAIVASHA AND THE LOCAL-COMMUNITIES, KENYA |
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