‘The lake is drying’: Lake Victoria waters recede amid rising temperatures

By Steve Otieno

The water levels in Lake Victoria have reduced significantly these past three months – leaving behind beautiful sandy beaches and exposed rocks.

Rotting tree stamps and rocks that had gone under water owing to the historic backflow have suddenly re-emerged.

According to residents of Lake Victoria – the aggressive backflow that began less than eight years ago had left a trail of destruction as it ate away farmland bordering the lake and swallowed buildings.

A number of homes and buildings housing Beach Management Unit (BMUs) offices were swallowed by the swelling waters.

The affected counties included Migori, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Busia and Siaya.

“It is very hot at the moment and the result is what you can see happening in the lake at the moment. The water levels have fallen and the beaches have re-emerged,” Nicholas Odhiambo, a resident of Sori in Migori County told Wananchi Reporting.

“Fishermen now have good ground to land their fish after returning from fishing activities,” adds Odhiambo.

Julita Aloo, a fishmonger in Homa Bay, said the beaches are now a lot more attractive and natural.

“It’s easy to deal with fishermen on the shores and even spread our fish to dry in the sun before taking it to the market,” she said.

Swathes of land that was previously drowned in water has been pushed to the surface.

Residents are attributing the new phenomenon to high temperatures and absence of rain.

Despite the drop in water levels, a number of locals who had abandoned their homes to relocate to safer grounds are reluctant to return and live near the lake shore.

The last five years have seen the lake levels increase significantly, gobbling as much as 30 meters of land.

The change comes at a time when the country has been experiencing very high day and night temperatures.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Meteorological Department recently predicted sunny and dry conditions to dominate most parts of the country in the next few months – possibly running until May.

The Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has also predicted above-average temperatures in the Horn of Africa from March to May.