Lake Ol’ Bolossat is the only lake in the Kenyan highlands, situated in Nyandarua County, about a three and a half-hour drive from Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. The lake is situated in the valley between the northwestern slopes of the Aberdare Range of Mountains and Dundori Ridge.
The lake forms the head waters of the Ewaso Ng’iro North Basin, Kenya’s largest basin, offering a variety of habitats ranging from open water through floating marsh and swamps to open grasslands and riverine forests along rivers and springs that feed the lake.
One of the unique things about Lake Ol’Bolossat is that it has both fresh and saline waters that never mix at any given time. It’s also an internationally recognised wetland as a Key Biodiversity Area. It’s Kenya’s 61st Important Bird Area, with over 300 bird species. It is a breeding site for endemic and endangered birds and an international flight corridor for migratory birds.
In other news, were the rift valley lakes flooding victims displaced and forgotten?
Among the birds nesting here are the Grey-crowned cranes. The grey-crowned crane is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. These birds are non-migratory; however, they undertake local and seasonal movements and are most abundant in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, according to the International Crane Foundation.
On my recent trip to Nyandarua County, I caught up with George Ndungu, the Cranes Conversation Volunteer’s founder. Ndungu tells us more about their work with local communities to protect these beautiful birds and benefit the locals.
Very much biodiversity in Lake Olbolossat and needs protection.
Lake Olbolossat should be reclaimed and conserved for the sake of the present and future generations. The rare birds, the hippos, the economic benefits and not forgetting the precious benefits of biodiversity underlines the lakes’ importance.
Encroachment, over-abstraction of water, poor farming methods , etc, are some of the factors that need to be given serious attention for the lake to be successfully reclaimed.