Kenya's rising lakes push crocodiles toward homes

Rising waters in Kenya's Rift Valley lakes are pushing crocodiles and hippos closer to homes, schools and businesses, increasing risks for communities already forced to move to higher ground.

Lake Baringo and other Rift Valley lakes have risen to levels not seen in at least half a century, with scientists attributing the surge to extreme rainfall linked to climate change. Official data put the number of displaced people at tens of thousands.

Kenya Wildlife Service senior warden Jackson Komen said crocodile attacks had increased not because there were more crocodiles, but because Lake Baringo had moved closer to homes. He said hippo attacks had also increased after the lake expanded over areas previously used as pasture.

An AFP analysis of Copernicus Sentinel and NASA Landsat satellite imagery showed Lake Baringo's surface area has expanded by 70 percent since 2010, from about 138 square kilometres to 234 square kilometres. Neighbouring Lake Bogoria has grown by 21 percent over the same period, from 34 to 41 square kilometres.

The two lakes are different: Baringo is freshwater, while Bogoria is alkaline. Komen warned that if they mix, fish, crocodiles and hippos may not survive. The distance between the two lakes is now estimated at about 10 kilometres.

Mathew Herrnegger, a scientist at Austria's University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, said satellite altimetry showed Lake Bogoria was already overflowing toward Lake Baringo. He said the amount of water that will reach Baringo and its impact remain unclear.

The rising waters have also damaged tourism and education. Komen said 80 percent of local community wildlife conservancies had been lost, with giraffes, ostriches, warthogs and impalas moved to safety. Michael Baimet, director at the local disaster department, said tourism earnings had dropped from roughly $1 million a year to $200,000.

Official records show roughly 12 institutions around Lakes Baringo and Bogoria have been affected, some completely submerged. About 240 students and staff at Kokwa Island Primary and Junior School in Marigat must cross crocodile-infested Lake Baringo, while the girls' dormitory sits inches from the water.