Lake Naivasha Drying Up

It is so unbearably hot at the moment. Some days it looks like storm clouds are approaching and other days there isn’t a cloud to be found. Everybody is hoping and praying for rain, but so far…nothing. We have only had two good rains since before Christmas (each about 13mm rainfall). The wind whips up the particles and makes it hard to breath, and if you’re very unlucky, you might get caught in a dust devil as it sweeps through town. Everything is gritty and smells of dust.

Dust Devil in Karagita

Trying to avoid the Dust in Naivasha Town

Meanwhile countless fires dot the hills around the lake as the Maasai desperately try to bring on the rains by sending smoke into the air. Even Mount Longonot was burning over the weekend. The fire there was so large it almost looked like a volcanic eruption. But so far these rain making rituals too have been unsuccessful. The smoke has only mixed with the dust in the air to create some very colourful sunsets.

Sunset over Lake Naivasha

The Maasai are struggling a lot with the drought. Traditionally they always have many more animals than the land can healthily sustain (animals are their bank accounts). This system is a recipe for disaster when the rains fail. What grass there is quickly turns to dust under the trample of many hoofs.

A Maasai friend visited us from Suswa the other day. He has thirty cows – had thirty cows. Two weeks ago they lost five and last week five more died. The ones remaining are just barely hanging on. They have to go to Mai Mahiu to buy hay which runs at over 1,000/ Ksh per bale at the moment. Who can afford that?!

Lake Naivasha is also lower than we’ve ever seen it before. And each day it appears to be getting smaller as mud flats appear where once there was water.

The Developing Crescent Island Causeway

If things continue, the hippos will really struggle. As it is they have to now walk quite a ways from the water for grazing.

Hippo Footprints to the Lake

Some believed the rains were on their way and tilled their soil and planted the seed. But the rain did not come. Now the seeds are left for the insects to feed on. Where will money be found for more seed?

God, please, send us rain!