The article explores the management options and their impact on water resources in the upper Mara River Basin of Kenya. It has been published by Paul Omonge in cooperation with colleagues from Kenyatta University, Technical University of Kenya and BOKU Vienna.
The study investigates the water supply and demand in the Nyangores catchment of the upper Mara River Basin, a basin that is roughly located between Nairobi and Lake Victoria, and stretches southwards across the border to Tanzania. Combining socioeconomic information with hydrometeorological evidence and spatial data sets, the authors draw a picture of the status quo concerning water resources and water use in that area.
The study was funded in the framework of the MaMa-Hydro project, where a baseline study to assess the hydrological situation of the vulnerable Maasai Mara River Basin in Kenya was conducted. The project was a cooperation project financed by the Austrian Commission for Development Research (KEF). Paul Omonge worked in this project as assistant researcher at Kenyatta University during his Masters studies. His masters research was funded by the MaMa-Hydro project. He is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute for Hydrology and Water Management (HyWa), BOKU, under supervision of Prof. Karsten Schulz (BOKU), Dr. Matthew Hernegger (BOKU) and Dr. Luke Olang (Technical University of Kenya). He was nominated for his PhD within the APPEAR project CapNex that aims at capacity building on the water-energy-food security Nexus through research and training in Kenya and Uganda. His research focuses on forecasting water availability and use amid competing socioeconomic and climatic stress. He previously lectured at the Department of Biosystems and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Kenya. The Masters study opportunity allowed Paul Omonge to acquire the requisite skills, expertise, exposure and network necessary for the rigorous scientific research community.
Article details: Omonge, Paul; Herrnegger, Mathew; Gathuru, Gladys; Fürst, Josef; Olang, Luke (2020). "Impact of development and management options on water resources of the upper Mara River Basin of Kenya" In Water and Environment Journal. First published: 02 March 2020. The article was published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.