TANZANIA, KENYA TO MANAGE BASIN FOR SOCIAL BENEFITS

Mara River Basin

By Lusekelo Philemon

Tanzania and Kenya have agreed to sustainably manage Mara River Basin as a critical ecosystem in Lake Victoria Basin (LVBC) contributing to sustainable socio-economic development of the two States.

The LVBC considers these collaborative efforts by partners
and non-state actors as a critical step towards a sustainable trans-boundary natural resource management thus contribution to the EAC integration agenda. This will also lead to the improvement of lives of the majority partner states residents living along the basin.

Such a collaboration have had two celebrations with the third one slated for September 15th this year titled, “Mara Day” celebrations. The celebration guided by a theme “Mara forever” is expected to attract around 300,000 participants in Narok, Kenya. 

This year’s celebration coincides with the great wildebeest migration of an estimated 2 million animals from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Maasai-Mara Game Reserve in Kenya from July to October of every year.

LVBC Executive Secretary Dr Canisius Kanangire urged Private Sector and Community Based Civil Society Organizations to play an active role towards sustainable management of Mara as the lifeline of millions of people and biodiversity in the world famous Serengeti National Park and Maasai-Mara National Game Reserve.

“These celebrations aims at improving biodiversity and conserving the area but also ensure that Mara River is preserved as a regional resource for sustainable economic development through tree planting” Dr Kanangire said.

It is expected that dignitary representatives from Kenya and Tanzania including County Governments of Narok and Bomet, Mara region, Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), Schools, Private Sector and members of the Civil Society will attend the coming celebrations slated for 15th September.

Mara Day was declared for celebrations by the Lake Victoria Basin 10th Sectoral Council of Ministers (SECOM) on May 4, 2012 in Kigali, Rwanda.

The event is sponsored by the two governments with the support of development partners such as the USAID East Africa, TeTratech, and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) and the Private Sector towards sustaining Mara River Ecosystem.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN