Goverment calls for concerted efforts in conserving Mara River

Government has underscored the need to conserve the Mara waters, protect forests, safeguard biodiversity and support the livelihoods of the people who depend upon it.

Speaking during the Mara Day celebrations, Ministry of East African Community, ASALs and Regional Development, Cabinet Secretary Beatrice Askul said the Mara River is a lifeline for communities, livestock, wildlife, forests, wetlands, agriculture and many other livelihoods.

She stressed that threats such as declining water quality, unsustainable land use, degradation of upstream watersheds, forest pressure and rising demand for water require a collective and cross-border response.

Askul commended the Lake Victoria Basin Commission and the national and county governments, communities, schools, youth, women, conservation organizations, the private sector and development partners for practical interventions like tree planting, clean-ups and stakeholder dialogue.

She urged deeper cooperation within the East African Community, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission and other regional frameworks to deliver integrated water resources management, catchment protection, landscape restoration and climate resilience.

Further, Askul reminded audiences that the Mara River crosses borders and that protecting it is a shared responsibility for present and future generations.

President Kevin Gichangi, Manager of the Kenya Rift Lakes Region at WWF-Kenya, noted that WWF-Kenya has worked in the Mara since 2003 and has seen a shift toward greater stakeholder participation, especially from communities.

He highlighted ongoing collaboration with partners and the strengthening of community-based institutions such as Community Forest Associations and Water Resource Users Associations.

Gichangi described the Mara as a transboundary system within the Southern Kenya–Northern Tanzania Landscape and emphasized that Integrated Water Resources Management is now in action, with cross-border cooperation being essential to effectively manage the river that sustains the greater Mara ecosystem.

Dr. John Kipkiorir Chumo, Conservation Secretary at the State Department for Wildlife, underscored the dependency of hippos, crocodiles and the wider aquatic ecosystem on healthy rivers.

He spoke of efforts to protect and restore catchment areas, including the Mau Forest, through afforestation and other conservation programs.

Chumo urged continued support from development partners, noting that the government cannot do it alone and that unity strengthens conservation outcomes.

He stressed that pollution of rivers must be avoided to safeguard wildlife and ecosystems for both current and future generations.

Professor Hillary Kipn’geno Barchok, Governor of Bomet County, affirmed the responsibility to protect water sources, restore degraded landscapes and promote sustainable land-use practices.

He urged that Mara River management not be fragmented by political boundaries, calling for strengthened cooperation among Kenya and Tanzania within the East African Community, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, national and county governments, communities, researchers, conservation organizations, development partners and the private sector.

Barchok highlighted that communities must remain at the heart of conservation and that Mara Day should translate dialogue into measurable actions, including catchment restoration, pollution prevention, waste management and climate resilience.

He reaffirmed that the County Government of Bomet is committed to protecting the Mara catchment and to safeguarding water resources for future generations, emphasizing a shared future where one river serves two nations and many lives.

Eng. Eric Mugaa, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, spoke about advancing monitoring and early warning through hydrometric and gauging stations installed across catchments in collaboration with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission and East African partners.

The real-time data enable monitoring river flows, issuing timely advisories for communities upstream and downstream, managing dam operations, and predicting spill events.

Mugaa stressed that water harvesting is key and that the Mara River sustains economies and ecosystems from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to Tanzania’s Serengeti.

He reiterated that the Mara cannot be managed by Kenya or Tanzania alone, but must be a shared responsibility backed by bilateral and regional cooperation to ensure adequate water supply, protected catchments and a healthy river for generations to come.

The CS reiterated the Mara River’s lifeline status for people, livestock, wildlife, forests, wetlands, agriculture and livelihoods.

She thanked stakeholders for interventions like tree planting and public awareness campaigns, and she urged continued collaboration across borders within the regional bodies to advance integrated watershed management, protect catchments, restore degraded landscapes and strengthen climate resilience.

“All that the Mara River does not recognize national borders and that preserving it requires a shared commitment and concrete action,” said Askul.

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