UN-HABITAT

BACKGROUNDER

LAKE VICTORIA

Exploration History The first recorded information about comes from Arab traders plying the inland routes in search of gold, ivory , slaves and other precious commodities. The lake was first sighted by Europeans in 1858 when the British explorer John Hanning Speke reached its southern shore whilst on his journey with Richard Francis Burton to seek the source of the Nile for strategic reasons of the British Colonial administration. Believing he had found the source of the Nile on seeing this vast expanse of open water for the first time, Speke named the lake after the then Queen of the United Kingdom. Burton, who had been recovering from illness at the time and resting further south on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, was outraged at Speke's audacity to claim this discovery for himself whilst on what was supposed to have been a scouting expedition. A very public quarrel ensued, which not only sparked a great deal of intense debate within the scientific community of the day, but much interest by other explorers keen to either confirm or refute Speke's discovery.

The well-known British explorer and missionary David Livingstone failed in his attempt to verify Speke's discovery, instead pushing too far west and entering the Congo River system instead. It was ultimately the American explorer Henry Morton Stanley who confirmed the truth of Speke's discovery, circumnavigating the Lake and reporting the great outflow at Rippon Falls on the Lake's northern shore. It was on this journey that Stanley was said to have greeted the British explorer with the famous words Dr. Livingstone, I presume? Upon discovering the Englishman ill and despondent in his camp on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Lake Victoria is 68,870 square kilometers in size, making it the continent's largest lake, the largest tropical lake in the world, and the second largest fresh water lake in the world in terms of surface area. Being relatively shallow, Lake Victoria ranks as the seventh largest freshwater lake by volume, containing 2,760 cubic kilometers of water. It is the source of the longest branch of the Nile River, the White Nile . The lake lies within an elevated plateau in the western part of Africa's Great Rift Valley and is subject to territorial administration by (49%), (45%). and . (6%)

There are more than 3,000 islands within Lake Victoria, many of which are inhabited. These include the Ssese Islands in Uganda, a large group of islands in the northwest of the Lake that are becoming a popular destination for tourists.

The Earlier Settlement in the Lake Victoria Basin

The communities now settled around Lake Victoria were immigrants from other parts of Africa. As early as the 13th and 14th centuries, Lake Victoria was surrounded by well-organized and settled communities. These communities had, and still enjoy, a lot of interaction. The Luos followed the River Nile from the North of Africa and settled in the Lake Victoria basin in present day Uganda before moving to Kenya. When the Luos arrived they forced out other tribes like the Elgon Masai and Bantus that had earlier settled in the lake basin.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-2) 623153,623151, 623136, Fax: (254-2) 624060/624333 e-mail: [email protected] The Luos interacted with the ethnic groups that lived in Uganda. Some of the Luos later moved to North Mara in Tanzania in search of pasture after drought destroyed their crops. The Bantus who occupy the Lake Victoria basin in present day Uganda and some parts of Tanzania trace their origins to Central Africa. Their settlements developed into indigenous kingdoms in the 14th Century, among which were the Baganda, Banyoro, Toro, Ankole, and Basoga. The Baganda people created a dominant kingdom that could not be penetrated until the 19th century. The second very important group was the Basoga, who later established their kingdom around Jinja. Before colonization, the largest tribes that occupied the southern shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania were the Wasukuma and Wanyamwezi. Today their population spreads into millions. Other important ethnic groups that live on the shores of Lake Victoria include smaller tribes like the Wazanaki, Wajita, and Wakerewe of Tanzania; the Banyala and Suba of Kenya, and the Samia of Uganda. The communities also include a smaller number of Asians, originally brought by the colonialists to build the then Uganda railway. The Asians are mostly town dwellers and still control major businesses in the Lake Victoria port towns. The earlier settlers brought distinct cultures with them to the basin. Intermarriages amongst the different cultures became common as a result of the inter-linkages and interactions that were enabled by the lake. Cross transfer of cultures was enhanced among neighborhood communities, and intercommunity trade became common. The barter system of trade became prominent among the communities as canoes and dhows transported goods. Trade and market centers developed and later small towns were established at the sites of the lake ports. This was the origin of the present day municipalities and cities, the major well- established lakeside towns like , Entebbe, and Jinja in Uganda; Kisumu and Homa Bay in Kenya; and , Musoma, and Bukoba in Tanzania. These populations of these towns range from 0.2 to 1.5 million. The establishment of colonial rule over the people of the region brought with it resource management structures that removed the power from traditional leaders to the central governments of the larger territories of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika. This meant that people who had no interest in the Lake could be given the responsibility to manage resources such as fisheries. The ownership of the resources shifted with time.

Social Impacts It is estimated that roughly one -third of the combined population of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda derive their livelihood from the lake, through subsistence fishing and agriculture. But this resource can only be sustained if its rich and diverse eco-system is well managed. The rapidly growing urban and peri-urban centers located along the shores depend on its natural resources for their economic growth as well as a source of clean water for domestic use by the surrounding communities. On the other hand, the centers have caused considerable pollution and environmental degradation of the lake. Uncontrolled municipal and industrial effluents (brewery, tanning, fish processing, agro-processing) continue to pollute the lake threatening the very basis of the local and regional economy

The poorer communities, which rely on subsistence agriculture and fishing activities, have settled along the Lake. These communities do not have adequate shelter and infrastructure and suffer under the double burden of increased competition for degraded natural resources and the resulting increased prices for safe water. The municipalities lack the capacity to implement sustainable development policies, especially within a regional context of rapid urbanization and weak national and regional economies.

The project sites of Musoma, Kampala and Kisumu all reflect the scenario depicted above. These cities development and environment has been directly impacted by their proximity to the Lake. The Lake Victoria project, in an effort to apply the CDS to spatial planning is targeting these three cities. To achieve diversity, maximize on lessons learnt and for national and regional replication, it is necessary to involve cities in all three countries – Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania - which surround the lake. It is also worthwhile to consider the variable levels of development in these three cities.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-2) 623153,623151, 623136, Fax: (254-2) 624060/624333 e-mail: [email protected]

Kampala, the capital of Uganda, is the largest of the three cities with an appreciable level of development. It is currently experiencing considerable levels of growth and expansion. Recent estimates reveal that the city holds some 1.2 million inhabitants. Kampala presents a complex development situation as the high increase in urban population has not been matched by a corresponding increase in the provision of basic infrastructure, housing and social amenities. The local city authority is the Kampala City Council (KCC). The rapid population increase has stretched the council’s capacity to deliver services. Key urban environmental issues here include proliferation of slums and unplanned human settlements, inadequate water supply, poor sanitation, solid waste management, increasing traffic congestion and pollution, and growing crime rates amongst others.

Kisumu is the third largest urban center in Kenya after Nairobi and Mombasa. It has recently been elevated to city status and has an estimated population of 345,312, majority being young people under the age of 19. It has a relatively well-developed urban infrastructure. It is a leading commercial, trading, fishing, industrial, communication and administrative center in the Lake Victoria basin. The city is ranked the poorest in Kenya with 48% of its inhabitants living below the poverty line. Its main environmental and development issues include poor land use planning, high HIV/AIDS prevalence, lack of public awareness owing to low literacy levels, outdated and inadequate water and sewerage system, poor solid waste management, presence of water hyacinth on Lake Victoria hampering water supply, inadequate energy supply, and unplanned settlements. The city’s authority is the Kisumu City Counc il.

Musoma in Tanzania is a relatively smaller town, with a population of about 120,000. Nevertheless, it is growing at an increasingly high rate and is beginning to experience typical city problems. The town’s infrastructure is poorly developed. It has a weak transport network and poor waste disposal facilities. The town’s local authority is the Musoma Town Council, which admittedly requires capacity building to maximize its revenue base.

Addressing The Challenge

UN-HABITAT through its Urban Management Programme, with support from SIDA, initiated the Lake Victoria Region City Development Strategies Programme in early 2002, in a bid to strengthen the capacities of three centers located along the shores of Lake Victoria.

This initiative aims to mobilize the local authorities and stakeholders to develop a programme laying out City Development Strategies for improved urban environment and poverty reduction. It also seeks to address the absence of effective planning in Kisumu, Kampala, and Musoma – the three project sites. The respective local authorities have endorsed the CDS programme, and multi-sectoral coordinating committees have been set up. The initiative has focused on building a consensus on key environmental issues. The consensus has been used as the framework for preparing and implementing City Development Strategies for the three countries.

A regional workshop conducted in May 2002, to take stock of ongoing urban development initiatives in the Lake Victoria region identified the key issues and problems facing each city. The workshop also recognized common areas of interest and developed a framework for a joint regional project for improved urban environment and poverty reduction. Consultations with varied stakeholders including local communities, the civil society and the private sector have been rigorously undertaken.

These consultations have already yielded Strategic Action Plans (SAPs) and Strategic Investment Plans (SIPs) to address the identified priority urban issues in these cities. The issues include sanitation and drainage, waste management, income generation schemes, shelter and infrastructure, revenue collection, HIV/AIDS programme, and the promotion of inclusive processes and structures of local governance, among others. Demonstration projects identified from the SIPs and SAPs in each of these cities are planned for

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-2) 623153,623151, 623136, Fax: (254-2) 624060/624333 e-mail: [email protected] immediate implementation within the project framework with support from UN-HABITAT and SIDA, with local inputs as well. Furthermore, efforts are being made to consolidate ava ilable and potential resources for implementation of the SAPs and SIPs within a five-year period.

THE LAKE VICTORIA CLEAN UP WEEK

The Lake Victoria Clean-up Week is under the CDS programme and is jointly organized by UN HABITAT, The Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation (LVRLAC) and the East African Communities Organization for Management of Lake Victoria Resources (ECOVIC) in collaboration with the three pioneer CDS cities. Partnerships have been formed at the regional as well as local leve ls to ensure project success and sustainability. At the Local level formed partnership was with the Entebbe District Wildlife Association (EDWA).

It is to take place on 9 – 16 July 2005, starting in Musoma on 9 July, Kisumu on 11 – 13 July with the official launch in Kampala on 16 July at Gaba beach. Invited guests to the launch include the mayors and nominated participants of the 3 participating cities, SIDA officials, key private and public stakeholders and the general public. Prior to the launch, the beach communities from Musoma, Kisumu and Kampala will participate in weeklong awareness campaigns and clean up activities dubbed “A clean environment is everyone’s responsibility”.

The main objective of the project is to innovatively change attitudes and behavior with regard to environmentally unsound activities that continue to harm Lake Victoria. Intended as an annual event, it is an initiative that encourages environmental action at the local level. By encouraging people to adopt a hands-on approach to environmental management, this activity will be beneficial to the surrounding communities as it will inspire and support them to take simple, positive steps towards restoring and protecting the environment, thus enabling them to take ownership over it’s conservation. Activities include:

- Clean up of rubbish from beaches, markets and rivers around Lake Victoria - Sports activities - Installation of litterbins and toilets at the clean up sites - Relocation of car washing bays that are by the lake - Information sharing - Mobilization, sensitization and training of the beach management units through ECOVIC - Cultural exhibitions - Tree planting - Procession march - Advertising and public relations campaign - Involvement of youth through drama

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-2) 623153,623151, 623136, Fax: (254-2) 624060/624333 e-mail: [email protected]

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254-2) 623153,623151, 623136, Fax: (254-2) 624060/624333 e-mail: [email protected]