A man burns part of Sonki forest, east of the Mau complex on July 27,
2018. The government is evicting illegal settlers from the country’s
largest water tower. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The soothing sound of water flowing from a natural spring by the roadside welcomes us to the eastern Mau forest.
It
is a cool and quiet day. Indigenous and exotic trees line the road.
Further down, cows are grazing at the point where mixed vegetation and
the forest cover starts.
A drive deep
into the complex brings us to Enapuyiapui swamp in Kiptunga forest. It
has long green grass and reeds. Eucalyptus, pine, cypress and cedar
trees ring it.
This is the source of River Mara and many others that give life to many parts of Kenya and beyond.
River
Mara is one of the main tourism drivers in Kenya, not just through the
wildlife it supports but also the spectacular wildebeest migration,
which started last week.
However, human activities are adversely affecting the Mara and its tributary Amalo.
GREEN PASTURE
With the rainy season on and green pasture all around, livestock are grazing in the swamp.
Mr
Joseph Lesingo, who grew up in Kiptunga forest, says grazing remains a
contested issue. But that is not the only problem. He says exotic trees
brought in by colonialists pose a threat to the water tower.
But
there are some positives too. The ban on logging seems to have slowed
down degradation of Mau forest. Sawmillers, including companies like
Timsales, in the nearby Elburgon, Molo and Nakuru towns, closed shop.
Even
with that, threats to the forest remain. On the edge of the enormous
wetland is a small structure which once housed a water pump.
It has been vandalised but the stains of the oil that used to power it are evident on the floor.
It pumped fresh water from the swamp to tanks, which supplied hundreds of squatters in Kiptunga forest.
The squatters were flushed out in 1992 on the eve of the multiparty era. Many others remain in the forest.
TREES CLEARED
Up the slope, trees have been cleared while a plaque erected by Prime Minister Raila Odinga in January 2010 has been destroyed.
Enapuiyapui
swamp is the source of life for more than 160 million people and
livestock in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan and Egypt.
Livelihoods
that are threatened by the mindless destruction of the forest. The Mau
is the biggest of Kenya’s five water towers. It is double the size of
the Aberdares and Mt Kenya combined.
The
Mau complex was made up of 22 forests until one was hived off by the
Kanu administration. It is the source of all but one of the main rivers
cutting through the western side of the Rift Valley.
According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, it is the main fountain for 12 rivers.
Five end up in Lake Victoria, which is the source of River Nile, the lifeline for South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.
KERIO RIVER
The
other rivers are Yala, Nyando and Sondu. The source of River Ewaso
Ng'iro is the Mau. It flows all the way to Lake Natron in Tanzania,
feeding crops, people, livestock, forests and wild animals.
Lake Nakuru, famous for its flamingoes, is fed by Mau through rivers Njoro, Makalia, Naishi and Nderit.
River
Kerio also originates in the Mau and meanders to Lake Turkana. Like
those that feed lakes Victoria and Natron, it is a transboundary river.
Lake
Baringo and the communities between it and the Mau, when considered in
linear formation, thrive on River Molo, whose level, especially on the
Nakuru-Koibatek-Baringo phase, has dropped considerably.
Rivers
flowing from the Mau are the lifeline of major tourism destinations,
including Maasai Mara Game Reserve and Lake Nakuru National Park.
These two recorded revenues of Sh3 billion and Sh1 billion respectively from entry fees alone in 2017.
POOR FLOW OF WATER
Mau
has the potential to produce 535MW of hydroelectric power,
representing 47 per cent of Kenya’s installed electricity generation
capacity.
The poor flow of water from
this tower has led to reduced inflow into the Sondu Miriu hydroelectric
power plant that is now operating below capacity.
The forest acts as a natural tower for Kenya, storing water during the rainy season and releasing it during dry periods.
The
Nation sought to establish the level of destruction of the complex and
went to five counties — Nakuru, Kericho, Baringo, Narok and Bomet.
Agriculture,
logging, charcoal burning, settlement and other human activities have
destroyed the complex and disrupted its role of storing and distributing
water.
The complex is 273,300 hectares but a large chunk in the Maasai Mau, eastern and south western Mau has been destroyed.
BARE SOIL
Trees have been cleared to pave way for farms and other developments as people continue encroaching upon the forest.
The
undulating landscape with unending hills and valleys is punctuated by
red (soil) and green (crops) colours with only patched canopies.
While
some areas are heavily cultivated, others are just but bare soil. They
stretch as far as the eye can see. The most affected is the Maasai Mau
forest and the eastern Mau where there is a high population density.
"We
will not sit back and watch as the forest is destroyed. The
international community should intervene because this issue does not
affect Kenya only," Mr Kelena ole Nchoe, a resident, said.
The
story is the same from Marioshoni, Molo, Njoro and Mau Summit where
tree stumps and crops have replaced what used to be a dense forest.
It
is common to come across women with bundles of firewood and children
carrying charcoal on roads in Keringet, Marioshoni, Elburgon and Molo.
ENCROACHMENT
In
2008, the area of Maasai Mau, which had been destroyed through
encroachment, was 42,000 acres. It has increased to around 115,000
acres, according to Narok North MP Moitalel ole Kenta.
Trans Mara and Olepusimoru forests are still intact though they may not remain so for long.
"We
support the evictions from the forest. Without the Mau, Kenya will
perish," Mr Joseph ole Karia, an elder in Narok, told journalists.
The
Nation team followed rivers Amalo, Mara and Ewaso Ng'iro. Despite the
recent heavy rains, they have little water and are heavily silted.
The water is brown and gets murkier as it flows into the plains of Narok.
DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS
"In the next few weeks, there will be no water in the river," Mrs Mary Kantai said of Ewaso Ng'iro.
In
the Maasai Mara Reserve, where hundreds of thousands of wildlife depend
on the Mara River, the volume is little. One can even see the backs of
hippos and crocodiles.
Mr Nchoe said the death of Mau would be the end of most aquatic life, wildlife, livestock, plants and even humans.
"Despite
the recent heavy rains and flooding, the water level has gone down very
fast. The reservoir is no longer holding it, probably because of the
destruction of the forest. It has become like a carcass," said Mr James
Pere, the manager of Keekorok Lodge.
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