How many fresh lakes are there in Kenya?

How many fresh lakes are there in Kenya? There are five freshwater lakes in Kenya, Lake Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Kenya and in Africa. It is the second-biggest freshwater lake in the entire world. Lake Ellis in Mount Kenya, Lake Mukunganya is near Lamu, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Baringo are some other notable lakes in Kenya; each has unique characteristics and significance.

Lake Victoria

 Lake Victoria is approximately 59,947 km² (23,146 sq mi) in surface area, it is the largest freshwater lake in the world, the largest tropical lake, and the largest lake in Africa. By surface area, Lake Superior is the biggest freshwater lake in North America. Lake Victoria has a water capacity of 2,424 km3 (1.965 109 acre-feet), Lake Victoria is the ninth-largest continental lake in the world. Lake Victoria is located in a small African basin.40 m (130 ft) is the average depth of the lake, with a maximum depth of 80–81 m (262-266 ft). Its catchment area is 65,583 sq mi, or 169,858 km².The lake’s shoreline, when digitised at the 1:25,000 scale, is 7,142 km (4,438 mi) long, of which islands make up 3.7%.

The area of the lake is shared by three countries: Tanzania occupies 49% (33,700 km2; 13,000 sq mi), Uganda occupies 45% (31,000 km2; 12,000 sq mi), and Kenya occupies 6% (4,100 km2; 1,600 sq mi). Numerous indigenous people, including Dholuo, Nam Lolwe, Luganda: ‘Nnalubaale, Kinyarwanda, and Ukerewe, reside on Lake Victoria. The first British person to name the lake was the explorer John Hanning Speke, who gave it the name Queen Victoria in 1858. Speke was travelling with Richard Francis Burton on an expedition. The lake is home to numerous types of fish that are exclusive to it, particularly cichlids. Invasive fish, like the Nile perch, have caused the extinction of numerous native species. Eighty percent of the water in Lake Victoria comes from direct rainfall. At a rate of 2.0 to 2.2 metres (6.6 to 7.2 feet) per year, almost twice as much water evaporates from the lake as falls in riparian areas. Water from thousands of small rivers and streams is also added to Lake Victoria. The major river that empties into the lake is the Kagera River, which has its mouth on its western shore. The Nile River is the only body of water that drains Lake Victoria, and it flows near Jinja, Uganda, on its northern shore. The main rivers in the Kenyan region include the Sondu Miriu, Yala, Nyando, Nzoia, Sio, Mogusi, and Migori.

Wildlife in Lake Victoria

There are many different kinds of animals in the vicinity of Lake Victoria, some of which have close ties to the lake and the nearby wetlands. Animals include the hippopotamus, cane rats, defassa waterbuck, spotted-necked otter, African clawless otter, Sitatunga, bohor reedbuck, and giant otter shrew. The marshes of Lake Victoria are home to a large number of Nile crocodiles, African helmeted turtles, variable mud turtles, and Williams’ mud turtles. The upper Nile basin and its surrounding lakes, rivers, and marshes is where the Williams’ mud turtle is restricted in Lake Victoria . Air-breathing catfish (Clariallabes, Clarias, and Xenoclarias), bagrid catfish (Bagrus), loach catfish (Amphilius and Zaireichthys), African tetras (Brycinus), cyprinids (Enteromius, Garra, Labeo, Labeobarbus, Rastrineobola and Xenobarbus), and silver butter catfish. Other than the common Rastrineobola, which is almost endemic, the uncommon Xenobarbus and Xenoclarias are exclusive to the lake Victoria and most of these species are only unique to Africa. Since the early 1900s, ferries over Lake Victoria have been an essential means of transit between Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The main ports on the lake are Port Bell, Jinja, Entebbe, Mwanza, Bukoba, and Kisumu. Up until 1963, the MV Victoria—the newest and quickest ferry—was categorised as a Royal Mail Ship. The MV Uhuru and MV Umoja’s 1966 debut marked the beginning of train ferry service between Kenya and Tanzania.

Lake Baringo

Lake Baringo is the second-most northern lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, after Lake Turkana. It has a surface area of 130 square kilometers (50 square miles) and a height of 970 meters (3,180. The lake is fed by numerous rivers, including the Ol Arabel, Perkerra, and Molo. It is hypothesised that the water percolates into the broken volcanic bedrock because there isn’t a visible exit for it.The freshwater lake is located in the Rift Valley of Kenya, alongside Lake Naivasha. Ol Kokwe Island is the largest of the lake’s various little islands. To the north of the lake, in Ol Kokwe, an inactive volcanic centre connected to the Korosi volcano, are several hot springs and fumaroles, some of which have created sulphur deposits.

Loruk and Kampi ya Samaki are small towns near the lake, whereas Marigat is the major town nearby. The area is situated at the southernmost point of a Kenyan region inhabited mainly by ethnic pastoralist groups, including the Turkana, Kalenjin, Il Chamus, and Rendille. Near Kampi-Ya-Samaki on the western side, as well as on several of the lake’s islands, are places to stay, including hotels, campgrounds, and self-catering cottages.

Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya situated in the Great Rift Valley, northwest of Nairobi in Nakuru County. The term “that which heaves”  Naivasha is taken from the Maasai name for the location and is a popular term for bodies of water large enough to experience wave action during windy or stormy circumstances. The highest point in the Kenyan Rift Valley is Lake Naivasha, which is at 1,884 meters (6,181 feet). Its complex geological makeup is made up of sedimentary deposits from a larger Pleistocene lake and volcanic rocks. Together with ephemeral streams, the lake is supplied by the perennial Malewa and Gilgil rivers.

The lake’s water is relatively fresh, therefore even if an outflow isn’t visible, it’s thought to exist. The surface area of the lake was normally 139 square kilometres (54 square miles) before 2010; by 2020, it had increased to 198 square kilometers (76 square miles). The lake has a marsh that has a total surface area 64 square kilometres (25 square miles), though rainfall can cause this to vary greatly. It has a maximum depth of 30 meters (98 feet). Crescent Island has the deepest water in the lake, which averages 6 meters (20 feet) deep. Jorowa Gorge, which was formerly the lake’s outlet, is now the entrance to Hell’s Gate National Park and towers over the surrounding waters. Originally called East Nakuru, the town of Naivasha is situated on the north-eastern edge of the lake.

Lake Kenyatta

Lake Kenyatta which is often referred to as Lake Mukunganya is located in Lamu County in Southeast Kenya. In Lamu County, Lake Mukunganya is located roughly 2.5 kilometres (2 miles) southwest of the settlement of Mpeketoni. It takes about 30 minutes to go there, or roughly 50 km (31 mi). The animals found around the lake include herds of buffalo, warthogs, zebras, monkeys, waterbucks, and hippos. Many different bird species can also be found here.

Lake Ellis

Lake Ellis is a freshwater lake located in Meru County on the eastern flank of Mount Kenya, which is 3,470 meters above sea level. Anyone with the courage to visit Lake Ellis will be enthralled by its beauty. It also offers breathtaking views of the top and pure, direct air.