Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley

• Governance
• Housing
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure
• Management systems/ management plan
• Renewable energy facilities (issue resolved)

Total amount granted: USD 17,283 from UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (2015-2016)

On 29 January 2020, the State Party submitted a progress report, and an updated report on the state of conservation of the property on 11 January 2021. Both reports and their annexes are available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1060/documents/, and reports as follows:

• The management plans for Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary and Lake Nakuru National Park are still being developed but the Lake Bogoria National Reserve Management Plan 2019-2029 was finalized in November 2020 through wide community participation, including with the Endorois Welfare Council, which led to their endorsement of the final Plan;
• The boundary of Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary is being redrawn due to the changes in its riparian area caused by unexplained water level rises in all the central Rift Valley lakes. Following the completion of this process, which will include public engagement, any infrastructure that encroaches into the riparian area of the lake will be removed. A detailed map, a zonation scheme and a proposal for a minor boundary modification will be submitted upon completion;
• Protection of the area between Lakes Elementaita and Nakuru have been strengthened through increased patrolling and strengthened law enforcement activities;
• The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licence for the 300 km long Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu power transmission line proposed near Lake Elementaita was awarded in 2010. It was subject to further rapid ecological assessment in 2019, which led to the development of mitigation measures to safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. The section between Naivasha and Elementaita has been constructed but the power has not yet been switched on.

On 25 September 2019 and on 17 January 2020, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party requesting more information regarding the construction of the Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu transmission line project on the edge of Lake Elementaita. As a response, the State Party has submitted along with its State of conservation report a draft rapid ecological assessment report dated June 2019 and an environmental technical report dated October 2020.

The unusually high water levels in the property are leading to loss of riparian habitat and changes in the water composition and quality. It has resulted in destruction of infrastructure and affected communities living close by. Heavy rainfall is understood to have been the main cause, potentially driven by the warming of the Indian Ocean as a result of climate change. These impacts are further exacerbated by the increasing deforestation, sewage loading and degradation of the catchments. It will be important to monitor the impact on the OUV of the property and to consider potential adaptation measures as well as the development of a wastewater management strategy.

The finalization of the Lake Bogoria Management Plan through wide community participation including the Endorois Welfare Council is welcomed. Nevertheless, the proposed zonation scheme raises concerns. In its Decisions 39 COM 7B.5 and 41 COM 7B.21, the Committee had requested the State Party to develop and implement strict and clear regulations to prohibit developments in close proximity to fragile habitats and in the critical buffer zone to the property. The new zonation scheme permits the construction of ecolodges along approximately half of the lake’s shoreline, and permits any type of visitor facility in the surrounding buffer zone. While noting that each development will be subject to prior approval, it is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request that no development be permitted near sensitive areas that may negatively impact the property’s OUV.

The State Party’s participatory work to redefine the boundaries of Lake Elementaita to ensure the inclusion of riparian habitat in response to the lake level rise is appreciated. While noting the increased resource allocation for patrolling and law enforcement in the area between Lakes Elementaita and Nakuru, at the time of inscription in 2011 the Committee requested the State Party to improve the ecological connectivity between these components through wildlife corridors such as the Soysambu Conservancy. The proposed minor boundary modification process should therefore consider the extension and formalization of the buffer zone between the lakes to restore connectivity and further strengthen their protection, in consultation with local stakeholders and rightsholders.

The revised management plans for Lakes Elementaita and Nakuru should reflect any changes or findings from the boundary modification exercise, also ensuring that the sensitive areas in all components of the property are protected, and that there is a co-ordinated management system of the three components in accordance with Paragraph 114 of the Operational Guidelines.

The June 2019 rapid ecological assessment concludes that the proposed transmission line traverses key habitats of critically endangered species of birds and mammals, demonstrating a need to explore alternative routes where necessary, and to engage bird experts considering migration routes. While a subsequent Environmental Technical Report on the potential effects of the transmission line on birds and other biodiversity concludes that, electrocution or collision of birds is highly unlikely based on the experience with the existing power line, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN remain concerned about the potential impacts of the new power line on bird mortality. Third party information document frequent bird and wildlife mortality along the old, existing transmission line due to collisions and electrocutions.

The World Heritage Centre was also informed by the Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), a treaty developed under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), that it had contacted the State Party on 28 January 2020 to raise concern that the powerline construction could be non-compliant with the provisions of the Agreement in relation to protection of key sites of importance for migratory waterbirds and prevention of unnecessary causes of mortality. In response, the State Party invited an AEWA on-the-spot appraisal mission, not yet undertaken due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AEWA Secretariat suggests the World Heritage Centre or IUCN to participate as an observer in this mission.

Noting all of the above, and that the construction of the section between Naivasha and Elementaita has already been finalized, the State Party should be urgently requested to halt any further development until the AEWA mission has taken place and its recommendations made available.