Lake Turkana is currently facing a deepening environmental and humanitarian crisis caused by backflowing waters that have submerged fisherfolk homes and community infrastructure along the shoreline. Fishing activities have become increasingly unsafe and unproductive as landing sites are flooded and access to fishing grounds has shifted. Many fisherfolk households have been forced to migrate to higher and safer areas far from the lake, increasing poverty, food insecurity, and social disruption. These challenges continue to intensify with limited local capacity to respond effectively.
The Empower 40 BMUs, Restore Lake Turkana Ecosystem Initiative was designed to address these challenges through the strengthening of forty Beach Management Units to lead fisheries management, ecosystem restoration, and community resilience efforts. BMUs are well positioned to coordinate local action, protect critical habitats, and support displaced fishing communities. However, the scale of the crisis requires sustained technical and financial resources. Without these resources, the initiative cannot be implemented as planned.
Save The Pastoralists Kenya (STP) has the technical understanding, community trust, and local presence needed to coordinate this initiative. However, STP currently lacks sufficient funding to support BMU training, ecosystem restoration activities, safety interventions, and livelihood support. The absence of adequate funding has halted the rollout of planned activities despite urgent community needs.
As a result, STP is unable to implement the Empower 40 BMUs, Restore Lake Turkana Ecosystem Initiative at this time. Critical interventions such as shoreline restoration, safe landing site development, and BMU capacity building remain unfunded. Without immediate financial support and strategic partnerships, fisherfolk communities will continue to face displacement, declining livelihoods, and worsening environmental degradation.
