The Status of Lake Baringo: Environmental Conditions, Water Quality, Fisheries, Biodiversity and Socio-economic Issues for Sustainable management

Lake Baringo is a shallow freshwater Rift Valley lake of high ecological, fisheries, tourism and livelihood importance. It is internationally recognized as a wetland and biodiversity asset, but it is currently under pressure from fluctuating and rising water levels, catchment erosion, sedimentation, siltation, agricultural and domestic pollution, invasive species, flood damage, changing fish assemblages and weak enforcement of fisheries regulations. This study synthesizes official fisheries statistics, government lake-status reporting, KMFRI-linked technical literature and peer-reviewed studies to provide a concise planning document for management agencies, county institutions and lake-basin stakeholders. The lake extent increased markedly during the last decade. The surface extent rose from 128.08 km2 in 2010 to 268.06 km2 in 2020. The 2024 status assessment further shows that previous lake-level recorders were submerged and that gauging infrastructure requires re-establishment. The rise in water levels has produced mixed outcomes: water availability improved for domestic, livestock and irrigation use, but flooding displaced people, damaged infrastructure, submerged farmland, affected tourism assets and increased human-wildlife conflict risks. Water quality remains the central environmental concern. Available studies show warm alkaline waters, moderate electrical conductivity and TDS levels, elevated nutrient concentrations in river inputs and inflow zones, and high turbidity associated with sedimentation. Turbidity rose sharply between 2016 and 2020, reaching a reported high of 86.9 NTU, consistent with the longstanding description of Lake Baringo as a sediment-laden lake with a degraded catchment. The River Perkerra and River Molo systems are particularly important because they deliver water, sediments and nutrients from the catchment into the lake. The annual fisheries landings have been increasing over time: 162 MT in 2020, 406 MT in 2021, 442 MT in 2022, 420 MT in 2023 and 1,142.56 MT in 2024. The 2024 increase was attributed to improved data collection at landing sites and favourable rains that increased catches of catfish and lungfish. Species composition in 2024 was dominated by Clarias gariepinus (40%), followed by tilapia/others (28%), Protopterus aethiopicus (24%) and Barbus spp. (8%). We recommend for catchment rehabilitation, restoration of gauging and water-quality monitoring stations, permanent fisheries data systems at all landing sites, strengthened beach management units, protection of breeding and nursery habitats, flood-risk zoning, invasive species control, sanitation and waste management around landing beaches and tourist nodes, and a Lake Baringo multi-agency management platform linking county departments, KMFRI, KeFS, WRA, NEMA, KWS, local communities and development partners.