Efforts to revive tourism hit a snag as Lake Turkana swells

Efforts by nine beach hotels along the shores of Lake Turkana to revive the tourism sector in Turkana County after the Covid-19 pandemic have hit a snag following the continued swelling of the lake.

According to Governor Josephat Nanok,  the lake, which has been a major tourism attraction and a source of livelihood for those engaged in fishing, has recorded unprecedented levels of about 800 meters from the shoreline, causing massive destruction to not only beach hotels but also public offices and homes.

The hotels were roaring back to life in conformity with the Ministry of Health guidelines to prevent spread of Covid-19.

Eliye Springs Resort Manager Dennis Biwott said they have suffered damage worth millions of shillings after boats for water sports and five bomas were destroyed by the surging water levels.

"We spent Sh1 million to design and construct a single boma. The bomas are our trademark as a visitor always has a wow experience when clearly viewing the sunrise kissing the calm lake." Mr Biwott said.

He said that residents who used to benefit from job opportunities and were paid by visitors for traditional dances as well as supplying charcoal and fish, had also been affected.

He said that they have been monitoring the lake since April and, each day, it has been rising at an average of two centimetres.

Ms Christine Arot, Proprietor of Kristine Camp, said that her main restaurant and the hotel store are fully submerged in water.

She said that since 2010 when she first established her hotel, she has never witnessed such massive flooding.

Ms Arot observed that, as the now violent lake continues to swell, it carries along  weeds from Ethiopia which destroy fishing nets.

Appeal

The hoteliers are now appealing to both levels of government to come to their aid with grants to help them relocate their structures away from the shores.

Ms Arot  recalled that when her hotel was used as the venue of the National Water Summit organised by Mount Kenya University (MKU) in partnership with the Institute of Capacity Building and Nation Media Group in October 2014, former President Mwai Kibaki was alarmed by the establishment of homes and hotels near the shores.

"The former President was concerned by the structures near the shoreline and asked the county government to give us land to relocate structures away from the lake. The advice helped me as I would have constructed all the structures near the submerged restaurant," Ms Arot said.

Lakezone MCA Leah Nachere appealed to both the national and county government authorities to assess the destruction caused by the lake along the expansive shoreline from Todonyang to Kerio.

"An economic recovery kitty should be established to facilitate construction of new structures by hotel owners as well as for procuring boats and nets for the affected fishermen,'' Ms Nachere said.

County Disaster Management Executive Benson Lokwang said he has set up a multi-sectoral team to investigate the risks and vulnerability arising from the swelling lake. This will inform mitigation and intervention measures by the relevant authorities, he said.

He said the multi-sectoral team comprises officials from the departments of Trade, Tourism, Water, Environment, Health and Fisheries.