Joseph L. Awange and Obiero Ong'ang'a Lake Victoria Joseph L. Awange Obiero Ong'ang'a Lake Victoria Ecology, Resources, Environment With 83 Figures AUTHORS: PROF. DR. ING. DR. OBIERO ONG'ANG'A JOSEPH L. AWANGE OSIENALA (FRIENDS OF LAKE DEPARTMENT OF VICTORIA) ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES P.O.BOX 4580-40103 MASENO UNIVERSITY KISUMU, KENYA P.O. BOX 333 MASENO, KENYA E-mail: E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] ISBN 10 3-540-32574-3 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York ISBN 13 978-3-540-32574-1 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2006924571 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broad- casting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer is a part of Springer Science+Business Media springeronline.com © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006 Printed in The Netherlands The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant pro- tective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: E. Kirchner, Heidelberg Production: A. Oelschläger Typesetting: Camera-ready by the Authors Printed on acid-free paper 30/2132/AO 543210 For along time, Professor Oyugi Aseto and the authors had a vision of writing a book on Lake Victoria. Man plans but the final say lies with our Almighty GOD. Professor Oyugi Aseto passed away before the writing of the book commenced. This book is dedicated to him in recognition to his work on Lake Victoria. In- deed, he worked tirelessly on poverty issues affecting the lake and its environs. His contribution will be greatly missed. Joseph L. Awange and Obiero Ong’ang’a January 2006 Preface Recently, there has been, and continues to be, a tremendous interest on Lake Victoria and its environs, both locally and internationally. A casual browsing on the Internet indicates that the entries on the Lake have been rising phenomenally. At the same time, the issues discussed are as diverse as they are varied in their treatment of the subject, both in terms of depth and comprehensiveness. The information on Lake Victoria and its environ is scattered, isolated, and sometimes confusing even though documentation on the subject are available. Despite this situation, the fact remains that various people (e.g., secondary and university students, researchers, practitioners, etc.,) would like to access and know more about the Lake and its environs. Aware of the existing information gap about this world’s second largest fresh water Lake, this book is intended to provide readers with up-to-date information pertaining the Lake. The book gives an in-depth coverage of environmental issues, re- source endowment, poverty amidst plenty, development opportunities, challenges and other related issues facing the Lake and its environs. It aims at providing information on the above variables, which hopefully will address the needs of various users. We have attempted to present the materials in a simple and straight forward way that will be under- standable to undergraduate students as well as advanced researchers. Yet we are aware that most parameters of the Lake are changing rapidly. We have therefore attempted to provide as accurate and up-to-date in- formation up to the time of publishing. The motivation of this book derives from the ongoing local, national, region, and international interests in Lake Victoria and its surrounding areas. Different actors on the Lake have different reasons for their in- VIII Preface terest. While some of them are interested in solving some of the prob- lems causing the deterioration of the Lake’s environment, others are emphasizing the rich potential of the Lake and the opportunities that potentially exist for the development of the region, given the abundant resource endowment of the Lake and its region. Such interests on this wonderful Lake influenced to a great deal the recently held 11th World Lakes Conference which was held in Nairobi Kenya from 31st October to 4th November 2005. Prior to the World Lakes Conference, a pre- conference was held in Kisumu organized by Living Lakes with Global Nature Fund with the theme “Our Lakes, our Livelihood” between 26– 30th October. This further underscores the importance of Lake Victoria as a Lake with vast endowment. Despite these endowments however, the Lake faces a number of problems. Most important are the environmental degradation encoun- tered as well as rampant poverty among the people in the region. In 1997, it was estimated that 63.1% of the people in Nyanza Province in Kenya, which borders the Lake, lived in absolute poverty. The region also registered one of the highest incidences of food poverty, at 58.2%, in 1997. With serious economic deterioration since 1997, both relative and absolute poverty have increased to 67% in most rural districts in Kenya, especially in Siaya and Homa Bay Districts of Nyanza Province. The Kenya Government has labeled the Lake Victoria region of the country as a “belt of poverty”. Other problems experienced within the Lake basin are: • The suffocation of the Lake by pollutants from industries and fac- tories which surround the Lake and are situated in towns and cities such as Kisumu in Kenya, Mwanza in Tanzania, and Jinja and Kam- pala in Uganda. • Water hyacinths, which threatens survival of biodiversity within the Lake and its environs. • The annual population growth rate in the region, estimated at 3%, is one of the highest in the world. The population density is currently at 350 people per square kilometer. This has posed a substantial threat to wetlands and water catchments e.g., the Nandi hills in Kenya. • Unemployment. • HIV/AIDs pandemic. • Deterioration in the standards of education. Preface IX These problems have become a menace in the region, with the resul- tant social implications such as increase in food poverty, dependency ratio, degradation of the environment and increased crime rates. Given the above negative factors and the importance of this Lake to the world in general, there is need for a comprehensive document which presents a total picture to readers who are unfamiliar with the Lake and its environs. At present and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such comprehensive work has been produced on the subject. There are, of course, pieces of information here and there about the Lake region, but these are not consolidated in compendium source of infor- mation that can be readily retrieved on demand. Indeed, the authors have produced several OSIENALA (Friends of Lake Victoria) series on Lake Victoria. The present book consolidates and expands the previ- ous work into a unified volume. It also reflects the International Lake Environmental Committee (ILEC, Japan)’s World Lake Vision which states1 The World Lake Vision is the result of a candid look at what is happening today to lakes around the world, whether natural or artificial, freshwater or saline, and what is likely to happen to them today if the current trend continues into the future. It recognizes the critical stage of many of these fragile, vulnerable, and often strikingly beautiful ecosystems. It seeks to convince people of the need to insure healthy lakes as a primary source and storehouse of the world’s easily-accessible water resource, and a source of food and economic livelihoods, utilizing them in a manner that maximizes their sustainable use for humans and nature, while also preserving their quality and ecosystem integrity for current and future generation. This book attempts to provide the missing aspects by giving as much information as possible about the Lake and its environs, especially its natural resurges, opportunities that exist in the region, environmental, health conditions and poverty that prevails, therein. Further, the book gives simple lessons on community participation in management and suitable uses of resources. It is expected that the book will be a useful reference work for policy-makers, academicians, fishermen, and politi- cians in the East African region and beyond, as well as researchers in various fields. 1International Lake Environmental Committee and United Nation Environmen- tal Programme, 2003: World Lake Vision. A Call For Action. X Preface Chapter 1 introduces the book and provides a general introduction to the book. It is a motivation for those who may treasure interest in Lakes study and Lake Victoria in particular. Chapter 2 presents the background of Lake Victoria focusing on its origin, physical descrip- tion and demographic issues. It opens the doors of the Lake to those unfamiliar with it. Chapters 3 and 4 gives a detail coverage of the Lake in-terms of resource potential. Chapter 3 looks at the resources within the Lake and its environs. Readers familiar with the background of Lake Victoria can move straight to this Chapter and skip Chap. 2. Chapter 4 presents a salient feature of the Lake and its environ. Its eco-tourism and its potential. It opens up the Lake and exposes its at- tractive features to the world for tourism purposes. For those keen on touring East Africa, Lake Victoria and its basin warmly welcome you. Through this chapter, you will get an insight on the Lake’s prominent tourist attraction and cultural centers. Chapter 5 departs from resource issue to present environmental is- sues pertaining to the Lake.