Sustainably unlocking the potential of Lake Turkana, Kenya

Lake Turkana, the fourth-largest African Great Lake by volume and the world’s largest permanent desert lake, remains poorly understood and understudied. The last comprehensive, lake-wide research programme was conducted by the British Overseas Development Administration approximately 50 years ago, and only a limited number of fisheries surveys have been undertaken since. In 2024, a new project, Sustainably Unlocking the Economic Potential of Lake Turkana, Kenya, funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands and implemented by WFP, UNESCO, and KMFRI, was launched, including an ongoing scientific monitoring programme. Initial results have already provided valuable new insights into the lake and its fisheries.

Lake Turkana is unique among the African Great Lakes because of its location in a remote, hot, arid desert. Its closed-basin hydrology causes lake levels to fluctuate by as much as 10 m over several decades, alternately inundating extensive areas followed by receding drainage. These oscillations contribute to pronounced boom-and-bust cycles in fish production and catches. The inshore fishery, which has adapted to these environmental shifts, is likely to be ecologically sustainable. However, the current management plan does not adequately reflect present conditions and requires substantial revision. Fluctuating lake levels and limited access to freshwater also complicate infrastructure development, including harbours and cold-chain facilities, and have resulted in numerous project failures when these physical constraints have not been sufficiently considered. The lake also has a considerable untapped potential in its small pelagic offshore fish resources, although again the physical constraints, including violent winds, continue to hinder their utilisation. This keynote will briefly examine the historical development of the Lake Turkana fishery, current scientific understanding, regulatory and management challenges, and future opportunities, and will propose strategies for sustainably realising this potential.