Land Use Changes in the Lake Nakuru Catchment: Implications on Environmental Planning and
Management.
by
Kihagi John Karanja, (2000)
Lake Nakuru Catchment covers an area estimated at over 1837 square kilometers. It has a fragile
ecological system which has increasingly had permanent human settlements locating there over the last
one hundred years. Within this period, land use conditions have dramatically changed, causing major
concerns on environmental sustainability of the entire catchment.
This study undertook to investigate the actual land use changes that have taken place in the catchment
in the past twenty-six years. It also analyses the biological and physical characteristics of the catchment
in order to reveal the environmental implications of changes in land use and recommend appropriate
planning interventions.
The Study reveals major changes in land use over the study period. This includes changes in the
proportions of land area covered by forests from 42 percent of the entire catchment area to 22 percent.
Small-scale farmlands accounted for 39 percent of the total catchment land are in 1999 as compared to
9 percent in 1973. Other changes include a reduction in the proportion of land areas covered by largescale farmland from 29 percent to 14 percent. In contrast, reduction in the number of large-scale farms
has taken place in tandem with an increase in urban land from 1 percent to 14 percent.
Institutional mandates, strengths and weaknesses together with the legal framework under which they
operate are analysed with a view to coming up with an effective framework under which land use
planning within the catchment should be undertaken in the future. The study especially notes the lack of
application of modern technology in land use change information acquisition and analysis namely
Satellite Remote Sensing and Geographic information Systems (GIS) within the Catchment.
The study arrives at the conclusion that land use change in the catchment is evolving in such a way that
continued growth in the number of small-scale farmlands should draw special attention of urban and
rural planners and conservationists in the catchment. The study takes particular note that transition of
land use into the small-scale land units is a transitory step and that this transformation process points
towards a land conversion process from rural/agricultural land use to urban use.
Some areas in which the study makes recommendations include remedial measures that focus on
farmer conservation training and community involvement in conservation efforts. It also recommends
intensified urban and regional planning and institutional collaboration in land use change monitoring,
planning and control as a means towards sustainable land use within the catchment. In particular, the
study identifies the need for establishment of a Lake Nakuru Catchment Authority to be responsible for
environmental management within the area and to serve as a coordinator of all the other institutions
currently having specific environmental mandates. As a means of achieving its objectives, the authority
should establish a land use and environmental information system utilizing Geographic Information
System (GIS) and Remote Sensing Techniques.