A 'Nation of Lakes' Battles an Alarming Trend

A decade ago, geologist Simon Onywere was among the first scientists to notice what residents of waterlogged villages already knew: lakes throughout Kenya are expanding. Since then, a widespread catastrophe has unfolded. Per the Guardian, which traced Onywere’s efforts to help pinpoint the cause and spur action, the Kenyan government has mostly ignored the problem even though this is a "nation of lakes." Events in one town near Lake Baringo reflect a nationwide trend: “In March 2020, as Covid spread, schools across the country closed. When they reopened seven months later, 11 schools in Marigat had been completely submerged by the lake.” Local children now attend school in Red Cross tents, with lethal hippos and crocodiles roaming nearby.

The government did release a report in late 2021—developed in collaboration with the UN Development Program—detailing the steep humanitarian, economic, and environmental toll, including devastated social and civil infrastructure and the “total annihilation” of wildlife habitats. The government also promises help is on the way, but most Kenyans are skeptical. Scientists and local officials interviewed by the Guardian say “Kenya’s notoriously corrupt political class” was only motivated after the “UN Environment Program published its own report about Lake Turkana in July 2021, and the prospect of foreign aid became more likely.”

Scientists are still trying to figure out the cause. Lake levels were just as high in the 1900s and 1970s, so there might be a natural cycle involved. Also, many lakes lie in the Great Rift valley, where continuous tectonic forces may be altering watersheds or opening previously unknown aquifers. But Lake Victoria—second only to Superior among freshwater lakes—is not in the Rift Valley, and it too is rising. Geologist Omywere blames increased rainfall—data backs his theory—though he and another researcher disagree about the extent to which human-caused climate change is to blame. The real unknown is whether the natural ebb and flow of Kenya’s 64 lakes have been permanently altered. (Read the full story.)