Narok ready to host 13th Mara Day Celebrations

Oloolaimutia gate at the Maasai Mara National Reserve is one of the famous buildings and monuments across the world that have appeared in shares of green in celebration of mark St. Patrick Day. [File, Standard]

Preparations for the 13th Mara Day celebration to be held at the Maasai Mara National Reserve Sekenani gate begun in earnest.

The annual event held on rotational basis between Kenya and Tanzania, focuses on conserving the Mara River Basin, a critical ecosystem for the Maasai Mara and Serengeti regions.

Speaking during the launch of the event on Thursday, Narok Deputy Governor Tamalinya Koech said a series of build-up events have been lined up throughout the week ahead of the peak of the celebrations on Sunday, September 15th.

Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale is expected to grace the main event.

Koech, who addressed students at Sekenani Girl's High School, said Mara Day celebrations will be accompanied by activities such as tree planting, exhibitions and competitions.

The DG who was accompanied by Mara division deputy county commissioner Dr Vincent Naana Olei from Tanzania said the theme for this year's celebration, "Flowing Forward Together: Conserving Mara Basin Ecosystem for Sustainable Biodiversity and Climate Resilience."

The theme, he said, underscores the need for collaborative efforts to protect this vital resource.

"All the delegates from Kenya counties of Narok, Bomet, members from East Africa community, Lake Victoria basin commission (LVBC) and our brothers from Tanzania are already here for the Mara day week that has begun to day at Sekenani by planting of trees and cleaning up of towns around the Maasai mara game reserve," said Koech.

On Saturday, the Maasai Mara University will host a Day Scientific Conference with 48 researchers, scientists and environmental experts expected to take part.

According to Narok County Chief Officer Willy Loigero, total of 60 abstracts submitted by researchers and scientists from across the World including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Belgium will be showcased during the conference.

Renowned scholar, Prof PLO Lumumba will be the keynote speaker at the scientific conference.

The areas to be covered during the conference are environmental conservation and climate resilience in the Mara Basin ecosystem.

The conference will also discuss natural resource management for inclusive socio-economic development in the Mara Basin ecosystem.

Tanzania hosted the 12th Mara Day Celebrations in Mugumu, Serengeti district, Mara region last year.

The Mara River Basin forms one of the ten major rivers that drain into Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.

The river is the lifeline of the world's renowned Maasai Mara and Serengeti ecosystems which form the bedrock of tourism activities for the two sister EAC countries.

Mara Day was established in 2012 to raise awareness about the conservation of the Mara River Basin (MRB), a critical ecosystem of Masai Mara Game Reserve and Serengeti National Park, shared by Kenya and Tanzania.

Celebrated annually on September 15, the day highlights the importance of sustainable management of the basin's resources.