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)