Nairobi: Kenya and Tanzania have renewed calls for stronger cross-border collaboration, community-led action, and science-backed policies to protect the Mara river ecosystem, a lifeline for millions of people and wildlife across the two countries. Speaking during the 14th Mara Day celebrations at Mwenge Grounds in Butiama District, Tanzania, Water Cabinet Secretary Eng. Erick Mugaa, who led the Kenyan delegation, warned that the iconic river continues to face immense pressures from population growth, climate change, invasive species, and unregulated land use.
According to Kenya News Agency, Eng. Mugaa highlighted Kenya's commitment to the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding between Kenya and Tanzania on Protection and Conservation of the Mara Basin, citing large-scale restoration of the Mau Forest and alternative livelihoods programs for local communities. The CS stated that more than 21,600 hectares of encroached forest land were reclaimed, with over 21 million indigenous seedlings planted under the 15-billion tree program. Seedling nurseries across the basin now produce more than 4.8 million seedlings annually, with germination rates reaching up to 92 percent in some sites.
Forest grazing has also decreased significantly, from 24,000 livestock to 9,000, with a target of 4,000 by the end of 2025, added Eng. Mugaa. Rising water levels in tributaries such as the Nyangores river in Nomet County were directly linked to the restoration gains. Mugaa emphasized that community-led efforts have proven effective in ecosystem recovery and securing livelihoods, citing initiatives such as terracing, grass planting, and riverbank protection in the Mara Siyama Conservancy.
He added that Kenya has strengthened monitoring capacity by installing three telemetric hydrometric stations, five weather stations, 11 evaporation pumps, and five rain gauges between 2024 and 2025. Investments in sewerage systems in Narok and Bomet towns are also helping reduce wastewater pollution. Eng. Mugaa stressed the critical importance of protecting the Mara River, stating, "Protecting the Mara is not optional. If the river lives, we live. If the river dies, we die."
Tanzania's Mara Regional Commissioner, Colonel Evans Ntambi, who led the host delegation, echoed the call for joint action, stating that both countries must fast-track the completion of the transboundary water management plan. He emphasized the need to intensify tree-growing campaigns, noting that Tanzania planted 8,000 trees in the Mara catchment this year alone and is scaling up the campaign through schools, villages, and conservation groups. Ntambi further urged communities to adopt clean cooking technologies to curb deforestation.
Kenya's East African Community and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Beatrice Askul highlighted the impact of Mara Day since its launch 14 years ago, noting that the annual event has enhanced synergy between the two countries and mobilized local communities to take ownership of conservation. She stated that the volumes of Mara River waters have increased, habitats have been revived, and communities are economically enriched from the river. Askul stressed the need to integrate indigenous knowledge in conservation, strengthen institutional frameworks, and advance the Mara River transboundary water allocation plan.
Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) Executive Secretary Dr. Masinde Bwire emphasized the role of science in driving sustainable solutions. Dr. Bwire pointed out that the Mara River is under threat due to pollution and sedimentation from deforestation and poor farming practices. However, the quality of research presented during this year's scientific conference provides confidence in addressing these issues. The conference received over 100 research papers, with 36 selected after rigorous review, reflecting growing regional commitment to evidence-based conservation. Dr. Bwire concluded that "Science, like leadership, must be rooted in purpose, community, and national development."
The theme of this year's celebrations, "Protect Mara River, Preserve Life," resonated throughout the speeches, with leaders agreeing that without urgent and sustained interventions, the future of both the Maasai Mara and Serengeti ecosystems, as well as the livelihoods they sustain, hangs in the balance. Mara Day was declared in 2012 by the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers and is marked annually on a rotational basis between Kenya and Tanzania, every September 15. The event seeks to highlight the river's ecological and socio-economic importance while rallying regional unity in its conservation.