Trail of deaths, disappearances as conflicts in Lake Nakuru intensify

It started like the usual cat-and-mouse chase on Saturday at 10 am within the Manyani area neighboring Lake Nakuru National Park.

Brian Odhiambo had stepped out of his house, probably, to check on his fishing nets suspected to have been cast at a lake within Lake Nakuru National Park.

But KWS officers spotted and cornered him on a plot bordering the protected area. They beat him, and dragged him into an awaiting vehicle inside the park, according to eyewitnesses.  

Four days later, Brian, the 31-year-old father of two, is still missing. He is part of the many illegal fishermen and women who have been documented in a growing list to have suffered the fate of their activities.

“I saw Brian running, followed closely by KWS officers. They caught him, kicked him to the ground, and dragged him away. He begged for forgiveness, saying it was life’s challenges that had forced him into the park, but they didn’t listen” recalled Agnes Achieng Alouch.

Although Brian’s mother, Elizabeth Ouma pleaded with the officers to let go of her son, they could hear none of it. Since then, the family has been agonizing to know his whereabouts.

“We have visited several police stations but we could not find him. We have also visited several mortuaries around but he is nowhere to be found. I am begging the government to bring me my son, alive or dead,” said Ouma.

These incidents are not new in areas neighboring Lake Nakuru.

Derrick Owino who died aged 23, succumbed to injuries sustained from brutal beatings at the Nakuru County Referral Hospital in June 2021. The case was reported at the Barut police post.

Barely two years later on April 27, 2024, 18-year-old Kevin Ganira's body was found floating in Lake Nakuru.  He had earlier been arrested alongside two others for illegal fishing. The postmortem report revealed that he died as a result of head and bodily injuries, which the two others confirmed were a result of beatings by the rangers.

Human rights activist David Kuria said that they have recorded four killings since 2021 and no KWS officer has been held accountable.

“We have moved to court to compel KWS to produce Brian, dead or alive,” Mr Kuria said.

The latest development has sparked fury among residents who are now demanding justice. For the past three days, the locals have been holding demonstrations to have the KWS officers stop harassment.

In a dramatic show of anger, they barricaded roads leading to the park, set tires ablaze, and dismantled sections of the park’s fence. Some protesters went as far as burning parts of the park, further escalating the tension.

The unrest took a violent turn when 22-year-old protestor Eliud Ochieng’ was shot by KWS officers on Tuesday evening during a protest.

“We were protesting outside the park when I was hit by a bullet that was fired by an officer who was inside the park, ” said Ochieng’ from his hospital bed at Nakuru Level Five Hospital, where he was admitted with a fractured leg.

 But as conflicts continue to intensify at the once world-famous lake, water levels continue to rise, altering the delicate ecosystem.

Although Lake Nakuru lies within the park which is a protected area, conflicts were unheard of since it is a soda lake and the water within it is not fit for drinking. Previously, only salt-tolerant Magadi tilapia existed within the lake.

However, the lake’s surface area increased tremendously from 35 square kilometers in 2013 to 71 square kilometers in 2020 and spilled over into the neighboring villages in Mwariki A in Barut. 

The increase in water levels led to a change in the chemistry of the lake, with alkalinity levels reducing. This also meant that freshwater fish could thrive within the water body.

Given the intensity of the outbreak of COVID-19 that impoverished many livelihoods across the country in 2020, the displaced residents living around Lake Nakuru National Park were worse affected.

 They had no source of survival and the majority opted for fishing within the lake which 'brought fish' to their doorstep.

To many, it was a blessing in disguise. Roadside eateries were opened along the new landing bays, the former farmlands. 

With the water levels destroying a huge part of the electric fence that acted as a barrier between the communities and the national park, this meant that communities who had ventured into fishing could now easily access the lake without a barrier. They could also fish within their farms, which the lake had claimed.

But this also presented another challenge- fishing within a protected area, which is a designated sanctuary for black rhinos,  which are an endangered species. It also presented a threat to the conservation of other flagship species like the Rothschild giraffe.

In January 2024, President William Ruto appointed a multi-agency team to address issues causing conflicts at the national park.

The team was drawn from agencies, including Kenya Fisheries Service, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kenya Wildlife Service, National Environment Management Authority, and Water Resources Management Authority.

The team was also tasked to look at health risks associated with consuming fish from the lake, which has since been flagged as a health threat.

But as much as there have been efforts to arrest illegal fishing in Lake Nakuru, interviews conducted by the Standard revealed a collusion between illegal fishermen and corrupt officers. Survivors say that assault and sexual harassment come in when an agreement is breached.

Moses Olweny, a seasoned fisherman, tells The Standard that a deal is agreed upon between the fisherman and the officer before letting them into the park to fish. However, when deals go sour, the Rangers turn against them.

“In the deal, the ranger allocates us the time to get into the lake but if one exceeds time, they are likely to meet a different officer who is likely to turn brutal,” Olweny said.

Often, a fisherman parts with Sh 5000 to Sh 10,000 depending on the catch.

Olweny is among those nursing injuries from a deal-gone-sour that happened on January 8 this year.

“I had been allocated four hours at night to fish. The catch was good and I ended up taking more time to transport offshore. Six officers ended up beating me up badly until I could not walk. They stripped me naked and left with the three crates of fish,” Olweny says.

Before the incident, Olweny, who is currently immobile, could make three trips to the park in a week. Each trip earned him close to Sh 20,000 apart from the ‘cess’ fee.

But is not only men who are victims of the lake’s changing chemistry that has bewed corruption and a looming health crisis, women too, have fallen victim to sexual harassment.

*Jane (not her real name) says that as much as the lake presents a lifeline, it is also a danger.

“I help the fishermen offload and transport fish from the shore. One night while trying to escape from the officers, I slipped and fell. The officers asked me to give out a bribe but I did not. They pinned me on the ground and stripped me of my clothes. Luckily, a buffalo charged towards us and they ran away,”  Jane narrated.

Jane is among many women and men who can not speak out but admitted that several women have been sexually assaulted.

“We fear being victimized. They have guns, and they can kill us. We have no choice because we have to provide for our families,” she says.

But while conflicts from illegal fishing intensify and casualties continue to rise, another dark side of health implications resulting from the consumption of fish from the lake looms. 

The 2022 report by researchers from KMFRI found that water and fish found within the lake are unfit for human consumption.

KMFRI said that the fish within the lake had high concentrations of heavy metals that included arsenic, copper, cadmium, iron, and lead.

Lake Nakuru National Park Senior Warden David Oyugi said that the case is under investigation. However, he could not respond to the allegations of assault and harassment.

Nakuru East Commander Mohammed Wako said that they have since received the case and is under investigation.

“We have received complaints of the missing young man. And we are investigating. We however have a challenge controlling the public because they have damaged the electric fence while protesting. This puts them in more danger,” Wako said.