1.2.1 Study area
Baringo is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. It is situated in the Rift
Valley region. Baringo covers an area of 11,015.3 km2of which 165 km2 is covered by surface water from Lake
Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Kamnarok [7]. Lake Bogoria is the
deepest alkaline lake in Kenya with numerous alkaline hot springs that
contribute significant inflows into the lake. The Lake Bogoria National
Reserve which is 107 km2 comprises of the lake and the
terrestrial portion with various vegetation types depending on soil
types and terrain. Lake Bogoria National Game Reserve, lies between 36°
4′ and 36° 7′ East and 0° 20′ North and about 10km North of the equator
in Baringo County (Figure 1). It has an altitude of between 970m a.s.l
at the lake to 1650m a.s.l on Siracho escarpment. The Reserve lies close
to the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley and has its headquarters at
Loboi Gate. Lake Bogoria drainage basin has three major soil types; clay
soil, clay loam and silt loam. The climate in the plains is arid to
semi-arid regimes except in the moist highlands around Subukia.
Temperatures around the Lake range from 180C to
390C with a daily mean of 250C. Mean
annual precipitation varies from 500-1000mm and falls in two seasons
April- May and October- November [7, 9]. According to the population
and housing census conducted in 2019, the population of Baringo County
was 666,763 showing positive trend [16]. There are six broad
vegetation types in the Reserve: riverine forests, wooded bush land,
bushed thicket, bush land, bushed grassland and swamps [9].
The area is rich in wildlife species characterized by a high diversity
at low densities. Animals found in the plains of LBNR include the
Greater Kudu, impala, vervet monkey, dikdik, warthog, and common jackal,
among others. There are several reptiles that include monitor lizard,
lizards, tortoise, crocodiles and various species of snakes, and over
373 species of birds [7].
Figure 1: The Lake Bogoria National Reserve (Constructed by
author using ArcGIS 10.8)