Suswa- Lake Magadi Catchment Restoration

Background & Rationale

The Suswa–Lake Magadi catchment lies within Kenya’s southern Rift Valley, spanning upper slopes around Mt. Suswa and rangeland plains draining towards Lake Magadi. The landscape faces accelerated land degradation driven by overgrazing, vegetation loss, gully erosion, and flash-flood runoff that transports sediment downstream. Loss of ground cover reduces infiltration, lowers dry-season base flow, and increases vulnerability of pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods to drought.

This project focus on ecological restoration through tree planting, gabions, and contour terraces/bunds implemented with community participation and county support to stabilize soils, slow and infiltrate runoff, improve vegetation cover, and enhance water security.

Goal and Objectives

Overall Goal: Restore ecological function and climate resilience in priority micro-catchments draining to Lake Magadi.

Specific Objectives:

Re-establish native/appropriate woody cover and riparian buffers on degraded slopes and along seasonal streams.
Reduce soil erosion and gully expansion through strategic gabions and check structures.
Increase infiltration and reduce peak runoff via contour terraces/bunds on priority hillslopes.
Strengthen community stewardship, by-laws, and routine maintenance for sustained benefits.
Establish a robust monitoring system to track survival, structural integrity, and hydrological/vegetation outcomes.

Target Area & Beneficiaries

Geography: Priority micro-catchments on the Suswa–Magadi transect (Narok/Kajiado interface), including degraded hill slopes, riparian corridors, and active erosion gullies.
Direct Beneficiaries: 3,000 community members (pastoralist households, youth groups, women’s groups, and water resource users) engaged in planning, implementation, and maintenance.