Kenya’s Water Towers; A Scenario Scrutiny of Njoro Sub Catchment, Eastern Mau Towers

Abstract

The continent of Africa is endowed with natural capital and its sustainable development is dependent on the capacity to efficiently and sustainably manage the natural resources especially water, land and forests for the benefit of its population. A mountain forest plays an irreplaceable role in water catchment, in the retention and release of water in the hydrological cycle. The highland itself causes clouds to form, which drop their moisture in the form of rain or mist. A mountain forest with its numerous plant species absorbs and retains far more water than farmland or any other form of vegetation. Natural ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, rivers and lakes provide a wide range of goods and services to society including food, water, energy and recreation and can therefore they should be considered as life insurance assets. Mau water catchment is a fragile ecosystem whose dynamics have been subjected to human interferences. The purpose of this study was to determine the cover changes within the Njoro catchment from 1986 to 2016 and thereafter propose necessary strategies and mitigations to prioritize interventions to check on further degradation. Desk top literature and Landsat images of 1986, 2006 and 2016 were used to analyse and determine the extent of changes in forest cover over the period of 30 years. The results obtained from the Landsat images showed the area under forest in 1995 was approximately 10,383 Ha which reduced over time to 6,653 Ha in 2016. In conclusion, the variability in forest cover is thought to be dependent on other catchment factors like soil type, slope and climate variability consequently therefore there is need to evaluate and manage land cover and land use changes for sustainable development of Njoro sub catchment of Mau towers