As David Muigah stands on the shores of Lake Kenyatta, he looks out at the water, pointing out different sections and talking about the lake.
Located in a semi-arid area, the lake gives sustenance to more than 60,000 locals of Mpeketoni, Lamu County as a source of water, food, cattle keeping and income. It is approximately 2.5 kilometres southwest of the town.
Muigah has lived in Mpeketoni since 1982. He worked as a teacher in the small community until his retirement around 2006. He recalls that when he moved to the area, the lake was full, and was often a venue for recreational activities and events such as baptism for Christians.
However, as time went by and the population in the area grew, people started pumping its water for irrigation and other farming activities.
"Some of the members of this community act irresponsibly and this has affected the lake too. You will find a motorcycle being washed on the lake," Muigah laments.
Toxic waste from fertilisers ended up in the water and encroachment became an issue as pastoralists started grazing and watering their livestock in catchment areas. This caused siltation from the movement of the large herds. Slowly, the lake's water mass started shrinking.
"This is a freshwater lake but when the lake dried up and all the animals died six years ago, we realised the water had become salty," Muigah says.
As the effects of the drying up of the lake started to bite, communities formed associations to help protect what was left. They are calling on donors and well-wishers to support their restoration efforts.
"Most people here depend on farming as a source of livelihood. You know farming requires a lot of water," he says.
Muigah, now the chairperson of the Lake Kenyatta Water Resource User Association (LK-WRUA), says the community lacks sufficient support despite little attempts to restore water in the lake.
"That is why we are calling on interested well-wishers and donors to step in with support. Through support, we will be able to ensure the community has sufficient water supply to supplement the lake and create awareness among ourselves," he says.
Kalmey Muhamed is a 78-year-old retired civil servant born in Ijara Constituency in Garissa County but moved to Lamu for work. He is the chairperson of the Pastoralists Association in Lamu County.
He says the lack of enough grazing fields the and water for the livestock is the main reason they opt to graze and water their herds around the lake.
"I am a livestock keeper and we naturally move with our cattle from place to place in search of water and pasture. Therefore, water and grazing fields are important to us," Muhamed says.
As a solution, he suggested that pastoralists get an additional grazing corridor and water pans should be constructed and set aside specifically for pastoralists.
"We would like to ask for help getting enough water and more fields for grazing. I am aware that the County Government has a plan whose implementation is still pending. When implemented, pastoralists can keep their cattle off the lake," he adds.
Although the efforts by the community have seen Lake Kenyatta's water partly restored, new challenges are cropping up. This is according to Lake Kenyatta Water Users Association (LAKWE) chairman Benson Kariuki.
He explains that unwanted plants like water lilies have emerged due to the siltation and deposits of toxic waste. These plants pose a great challenge to aquatic life since there is limited oxygen. The plants and the animals now have to share the oxygen in the water.
"Farmers use chemicals and fertilisers for their plants and this easily makes its way into the lake. Sometimes, you will find motorcycle riders washing their bikes in the lake," Kariuki says.
Samuel Musyoka is the Chairman of the Beach Management Unit (BMU) in Lamu County. He has also been a fisherman in this area for 23 years.
He says since the lake dried up, some fish species have disappeared, leaving only three. Initially, they would catch up to seven different species from the lake.
"The water lilies makes it hard to fish. It hinders fishing nets from reaching the surface. Due to limited oxygen, we also catch dead fish which is a loss to any fisherman," Musyoka explains.
"Before the lake dried up, a fisherman would get an average of 10 kilogrammes of fish. As we speak, getting three kilogrammes of fish is a hustle," he says.
To try and protect the lake, Wetlands International has partnered with community-based groups in Mpeketoni, to sensitise the locals on the need and importance of preserving water bodies.
Lilian Nyaega, Wetlands International Regional Projects Manager-Kenya says the the organisationtrains locals on the importance of preserving water bodies.
"This has been a step in the right direction in restoring the Lake," Ms Nyaega said.
Lamu Governor Issa Timami said the county government has put in place plans to restore the lake, although the funds allocated to the National Treasury are insufficient.
"We have so many plans. We established that the problems at Lake Kenyatta are caused by the people. For instance, most farmers have planted crops in the lake's waterways making it hard for water to get into the lake. That is why when it rains, most crops are destroyed," the Governor explained.
"To ensure the farmers are relocated, we need funds which is a challenge. Lamu County gets the least allocation of funds. In the next financial year, we will get about Sh3.7 billion; out of this, Sh1.78 billion will cover re-current expenditure. I will only be left with about Sh1 billion for development which includes health care, infrastructure, education, and fisheries among others," he added.
He has planned to set up a task force that will be mandated to work with non-governmental organisations and the community to raise funds and ensure the lake is fully restored.
