Dying Mau forest empties power dam

By Luke Anami

Kenya will pay a heavy price for the poor management of its forests, unless bold political decisions are made, and quickly, economists and manufacturers say.

It is a story with its roots in greed and corruption in government, and the hunger for land among Kenya’s poor majority.

Electricity production from Masinga dam, one of several that depend on the River Tana, has been shut down, after the water dropped to historically low levels, and the blame is being placed on settlers on the Mau escarpment of the Rift Valley.

The settlers bought the land from powerful politicians in the current and former Kanu government who were allocated the land illegally. "The wanton destruction of the Mau Forest has caused catastrophic disasters that have impacted negatively on the social and economic life of communities living around the complex, and indeed those living far and wide from the Mau," said Minister of State for National Heritage and Culture, William Ntimama.

Slow death

"The water levels of all the 12 rivers with their source in the Mau catchment has gone down drastically," he said. The minister was speaking during a luncheon for the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya at the Panafric Hotel in Nairobi last week.

All the rivers are facing a slow death. The water levels on lakes Baringo, Turkana, Natron and Lake Victoria have also dropped, affecting economic activities.

Kenya is vulnerable to shocks created by weather changes, which include reduced agricultural productivity, floods and drought.

"The persistent scarcity of water has led to rationing in the capital city," Ntimama said. "Lack of a proper control and management of the environment could be the beginning of end," he added.

Kenya’s manufacturing potential is undermined by the unreliable energy supply, and sustained outages, making the country an unattractive location for manufacturing, in spite of skilled and relatively affordable human capital.

Locally produced goods become uncompetitive when compared with countries where energy is four times lower, like Egypt (see other story on Page 4).

"The famous Lake Nakuru National Park will soon disappear. The wildlife has no water, and the Kenya Wildlife Service brings water by tankers for the animals to drink," the Minister said.

"The only water going to the lake is sewage." Wild animals in the park could die, killing off a source of tourism revenue.

Seven wonders

Also facing danger is what has bee described as one of the "seven wonders of the world" the annual wildebeest crossing of the Mara river, a spectacle that draws hundreds of high-paying tourists to the Masai Mara. Water levels have dropped so low that rocks at the bottom of the river can now be seen. Even worse, Kenya’s efforts to end hunger could be compromised as irrigation projects are left high and dry.

"There is a fallacy among the Government leadership in that they strongly propose to go for irrigation to enhance food production," Ntimama said. Noted the minister: "It is fallacious to say that they will no longer depend on rain, when in actual fact they have allowed the fragile water catchments areas to be destroyed. Where is the water to come from for irrigation?"

Ntimama said shocks caused by climate change have affected the harvest of staple crops like maize and beans, phenomena that will cause hunger and death to human beings.

"We do observe that a good environment does not just happen, but is rather an outcome of concerted positive human actions," said Mr Jackson Maingi, the Chairman of ICPSK.