A NEED TO SAVE DYING SWAMPS IN KENYA

Swamps have for a long time been threatened and this could get worse with the changing climatic conditions such as the predicted El nino rains and irregular rainfall patterns. Swamps help to boost biodiversity and make harsh climatic conditions bearable. Swamps can be defined as wetlands characterized by waterlogged soil and abundance of plants while biodiversity refer to the flora and fauna on earth. Wetlands in Kenya cover approximately  14000 Square kilometers of land surface ( Macharia, Thenya and Nderitu,2010 ; Momanyi and Ariya,2015).

Some wetlands contain fresh water such as Manguo wetland which make it fit for domestic use and breeding site for fish and other water species. While some swamps occur naturally, others are seasonal and the continued degradation might lead to extinction of wetlands. This degradation over the years can be attributed to negative perceptions of wetlands being wastelands which has promoted massive settlement of marginalized communities on fragile wetland areas adjacent to river banks and water beds ( Momanyi and Ariya, 2015).

Swamps are facing threats due to the harsh climatic conditions that alters precipitation which increases chances for biodiversity loss and promote expansion of aquatic weeds. Kingwal swamp, which is located in the Rift Valley and forms part of lake Victoria and  has a unique riverrine vegetation that enables nature walk and is an attraction for birds making it suitable for ecotourism. The swamp is faced with threats of over harvesting  water, crop cultivation, over grazing, irrigation, waste dumping and collection of water birds' eggs.

Manguo wetland that is located in Limuru, along Nairobi-Naivasha highway is undergoing the same challenges. In addition to being a fresh water swamp, it had different species of birds which made it a tourist attraction site. According to an article by The Standard newspaper, it was initially used as a breeding ground for birds and birds census. The swamp has degraded due to human activities such as cutting reeds, hunting and collecting birds' eggs. While most swamps degradation is as a result of human activities, natural factors such as siltation that occurs during flooding leads to decrease of stream gradient.

Despite efforts to revive and take care of swamps, sub-national and local swamps are perceived to be small, unimportant and seasonal ( Momanyi et.al, 2015). Governments get a hard time implementing conservation mechanisms if the swamps are on private or community owned land. The wetland law of Kenya states that Duty of land owners, users and occupiers 14.(1) every owner, occupier or user of land that is adjacent or contiguous to a wetland shall, with the advice from the authority have a duty to prevent the degradation of the wetland and shall maintain the ecological and other functions of the wetland.

Some of the legislative bodies that protect wetlands include the water Resources Act, The environmental Management and Coordination Regulation 2009 and the National Environmental Conservation Committee. Instead of finger pointing all stakeholders should unite for the greater good. Educational institutions need to sensitive the communities living around wetlands on ways and importance of conserving swamps and increase the literacy levels. The government should come up with bylaws that are environmental friendly and acknowledge the communities right to use swamps for income generating activities such as fish farming. They can also offer alternative sources of income to the communities that are unrelated to swamps. The alternative sources of livelihood will help decrease dependence on the swamps.