Global Environment Facility Projects in Kenyan International Waters.

Global Environment Facility Projects in Kenyan International Waters.

 Project Overview

The paper addresses Global Environment Facility projects in Kenyan Trans border waters. Kenya shares several water resources with its neighbouring countries, both underground and surface.  Lake Victoria water basin is a freshwater resource shared between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Similarly, the country shares various underground aquifers with other countries within the Nile basin. The numerous water resources face environmental challenges, among them being conflicts between bouldering communities, pollution, and overutilization of the resources. The ability to efficiently manage shared resources to meet the needs of involved parties requires regional and international cooperation (Ministry Of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Environmental Governance 48). Global Environment Facility has implemented various projects to address challenges that face numerous water resources in Kenya and the region at large.

Lake Victoria, the Environmental management project, is one of the projects that GEF has funded in Kenya. The project sought to address the significant threats facing the lake’s ecosystem, such as fishing, Eutrophication, algae levels, and invasive exotic species like water hyacinth (GEF). The project’s main environmental objective was to rehabilitate the lake ecosystem and support the communities living within the area and to support the economies of the relevant countries. The project also pursued various economic objectives which included to maximize the sustainable benefits to neighbouring communities using the resources to generate food, employment, employment income, access to safe water, and achieve a disease-free environment (GEF). Besides, the project aimed to conserve biodiversity and genetic resources to benefit the global community. In addition to the above objectives, the projects sought to harmonize national management programs to reverse the increasing environmental pollution within the lake basin region. The project’s scope targets five years at a total cost of 260,132,420.00 USD; 9,132,420 USD 251,000,000 USD financing from GEF grants and Co-financing, respectively. GEF clearly states its project scope for easy implementation and evaluation.

Mainstreaming Groundwater Considerations into the Integrated   Management of The Nile River Basin is another project that GEF has undertaken in Kenya and the region regarding the management of trans-border water resources. The project sought to enhance conjunctive management of selected shared groundwater bodies in the Nile Basin within Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.  The project pursued various objectives, which included to enhance the current understanding and the knowledge on the resources base, risks, and options for sustainable management and utilization of shared aquifers ( GEF 1). The project also sought to develop an action plan for the governance, control, use, and protection of surface/ groundwater resources. It aimed to explore the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources and their connection to biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation.  Moreover, the project sought to strengthen both national and regional capacity to address groundwater issues and to promote sustainability through communication and awareness campaigns (GEF 6). The project scope stipulated that it would last for five years at a total cost of 5,329,452 24,850,000 from GEF project financing and co- financers, respectively.

Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-based Sources and Activities (WIO-SAP) to reduce the impacts of land is another project that GEF has undertaken in Kenya. The main project objective was to reduce the effect of land-based activities and to achieve sustainable management of critical coastal river-line ecosystems. The project scope estimated five years with an operational budget of 88,738,341.00 USD; funded through GEF Project Grant and other co- financers (GEF). The project covered various countries across the region, namely; Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, and South Africa.

The project framework included multiple goals, which include implementing strategies to protect the coastal and marine ecosystem from land-based sources and to provide essential goods and services sustainably (GEF). It also seeks to contribute to gender equality and poverty elevation through economic development. The project implementation relied on four main components, which include sustainable management of critical habitats, improved water quality, sustainable management of river flows, and governance of regional collaboration (UNEP, and GEF 3). The above component is the measurable deliverables of the project that can evaluate its rate of success or failure.

Project success in achieving its objectives

Respective project reviews have given their views on the success of the various GEF project and their impact on resource management, and national and regional policy frameworks governing trans-border water resources. Enhancing collective management of surface and groundwater resources in selected transboundary aquifers: a Case study for specific shared groundwater bodies in the Nile Basin has a positive review for achieving a majority of its objectives.  First, the project was consistent with the relevant GEF strategic goals and frameworks.  It aligned with the organization’s objectives to advance the foundational knowledge and information on shared aquifers and promoted collective management of surface and ground waters within the Nile basin.  The project was also in line with the national priorities and strategies of the respective countries.  Besides, it has gained increasing attention as a strategic resource for the nation to supplement available surface water resources.  Other project achievements include the identification of several segments of the Nile Course along which groundwater interacts with surface waters. Besides, the project estimated the quantity of Nile water flowing to adjacent aquifers by modelling approach.

Moreover, the Isotope hydrology data gathered under the project facilitated the modelling work to validate the model results in two sub-basins, which intends to integrate into the Nile Decision Support system.   The project also promoted the understanding of groundwater among riparian countries through the active involvement of the respective counterparts through capacity building and participation in the Nile Basin Initiative (GEF 31).  The above achievements are in line with the primary objectives of the project.

Moreover, the project design significantly indicates the drivers of global environmental degradation and addresses sustainability.  It outlines the reason for the lack of sustainable groundwater management. Besides climate change and natural phenomena, lack of sufficient knowledge on aquifers and their relationship with surface water sources has contributed to the current challenge. Poor or lack of groundwater policies as well as inadequate management, resulting in their pollution is also a significant challenge. Moreover, insufficient infrastructure to reduce the impact of wastewaters has a considerable effect on aquifers within the Nile basin.

However, the projects faced various challenges limiting its success. Inadequate financial resources inhibited its capacity to address the root causes of the current problems. Policy differences between countries and different administrative jurisdictions within the same aquifer system, lack of capacity, and low public awareness are the main challenges. Notably, Nile Basin countries share different aquifers.

An output report from the Victoria lake basin rated the different factors as satisfactory, marginally unsatisfactory, and unsatisfactory.  Fishery management was adequate as support to co-management and establishment of beach administrative units helped reduce illegal fishing by a third (The World Bank 8).  The project facilitated the harmonization of fisheries legislator frameworks among the involved states. The water quality ecosystem management objective of the project rates as marginally unsatisfactory. The project focused more on data collection with an unsatisfactory emphasis on critical pollution related to urban wastewater.

The project produced satisfactory results on water hyacinth control. The lake has achieved remarkable levels of hyacinth infestation in the lake.  However, some NGOs proposed sufficient consultation with the community to pursue biological control as opposed to mechanical chopping. Besides, it achieved satisfactory wetland management by producing various scientific outputs, such as an information baseline (The World Bank 9). Moreover, it strengthened the use of wetland products in Kenya and across the region. The capacity building component through support to Moi University, Department of fisheries, and school of environmental sciences was marginally unsatisfactory due to insufficient research funds. However, the university-sponsored more graduates, but the report could not determine whether it improved the quality of education.

Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-based Sources and Activities project contributed to the formulation of legal, regulatory frameworks to manage coastline resources and enhance collaboration among the concerned parties (UNEP and GEF 55). Besides, the project set short term targets for the member countries to pursue.  First, to develop and harmonize regional effluent standards. To establish a wastewater treatment plant in each WIO country and to create and harmonize local marine water quality standards.

  Project support for national policy objectives

 The various project supports various national objectives in different capacities. The various projects that GEF has undertaken in Kenyan concerning trans-border waters have converging goals that are in line with national policy goals.  For instance, Lake Victoria Environmental management project is in line with the Water Policy of 2012, which addresses how the country and its neighbours should utilize and protect water resources.  Besides, the project contributed towards the development of National and bilateral agreements is instrumental in ensuring the peaceful sharing of natural water resources, utilization, and protection.

Implementation of the Strategic Action Program for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-based Sources and Activities (WIO-SAP) reduce the impacts of land supports various institutional and regulatory frameworks (31). Besides, the project objects are in line with the national poverty reduction plan of 1999-2015 through sustainable use of natural resources to create wealth.

 Lessons from the projects’ Experience

  The above projects have had a positive impact on environmental policy and environmental protection, and one can deduce various lessons. First, harmonization of the different ecological legal, regulatory frameworks across the region can facilitate environmental conservation.  Community engagement and the creation of awareness and community involvement are key elements in promoting sustainable use and protection of trans-border water resources. Moreover, riparian grounds are essential in the conservation of both underground and surface water sources.

Conclusion

Global Environment Facility projects have significantly contributed to the conservation of both underground and surface trans-border water resources in Kenya and across the region. The projects support local policy objectives such as sustainable use of resources and reduction of poverty. The projects have facilitated the formulation and harmonization of various regulatory frameworks and sustainable strategies to conserve trans-border water resources across the region.

Works Cited

UNEP and GEF. “United Nations Environment Programme Project Document.” Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-Based Sources and Activities (WIO-SAP), Project number: 4940(GEF), pp. 1–250., https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/project_documents/04-04-16_Project_Document_PAD.pdf

GEF. “Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-Based Sources and Activities (WIO-SAP).” Global Environment Facility, 3 Feb. 2020, www.thegef.org/project/implementation-strategic-action-programme-protection-western-indian-ocean-land-based-sources

The World Bank. AFCC2/RI-Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project II ( P100406 ). pp. 1–111.

The World Bank. iMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT (IDA-29070 TF-28662 TF-28319). 2006, pp. 1–55.

GEF. “Mainstreaming Groundwater Considerations into the Integrated Management of the Nile River Basin.” Global Environment Facility, 3 Feb. 2020, www.thegef.org/project/mainstreaming-groundwater-considerations-integrated-management-nile-river-basin.

GEF. GEF-6 Project Identification Form (PIF). pp. 1–34. https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/project_documents/Clean_PIMS_5783_PIF_Selected_Aquifers_Nile_ver_05Oct2017_final_0.pdf

“Financing Global Environmental Protection.” Week PowerPoint Presentation.