Lake Turkana National Parks

• Impacts of the Gibe III dam
• Other planned hydro-electric developments and associated large-scale irrigation projects in the Omo region
• Oil exploration
• Wildlife population decline and pressure from poaching, livestock grazing and illegal fishing
• Impacts of the larger development vision for Northern Kenya
• Management capacity of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and National Museums of Kenya (NMK)
• Conflict between local communities and park management
• Redesigning the boundaries of the property

2018: Potential irreversible loss of the property’s OUV caused by impacts of various development projects on the Omo River (Kuraz irrigation project, Gibe III dam) on water and nutrient flow into Lake Turkana; 2021: Poaching and encroachment leading to steep decline and local extinctions of wildlife populations.

Not yet identified

Not yet identified

USD 250,000 from the Norwegian government (2021-present)

On 5 March 2024 the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/801/documents/ which reports the following:

• The State Party continues to implement the Lake Turkana National Parks Management Plan and annually allocates resources for operations and maintenance both on land (Sibiloi National Park) and Lake Turkana Island parks;
• Efforts to engage the State Party of Ethiopia in relation to the Committee’s request for the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia to provide a consolidated response to its past decisions, and for the State Party of Ethiopia to provide an urgent update on all planned and current developments in the Turkana Basin that could negatively affect the property and submit Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, the Gibe IV (Koysha) dam, and Gibe V dam, continue to be challenging. The State Party of Kenya proposes that the World Heritage Centre initiate and moderate a tripartite meeting between the two States Parties to address this challenge;
• Regarding finalization of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), it is recalled that a draft was prepared through the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, elaborated further at a meeting held in December 2022 and, following virtual meetings with the World Heritage Centre, the draft was submitted in January 2024 for review. The draft was to be finalised during the April 2024 UNESCO DSOCR workshop with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN;
• A comprehensive biodiversity survey is proposed in the draft DSOCR. At present, there is no reliable scientific data to conclude regarding the potential loss of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
• The requested revision of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the ‘Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Program’ was to be replaced with the requested SEA for the Lake Turkana Basin developed jointly by the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia. The LAPSSET corridor had been planned to pass south of the lake and west of Turkana thereby avoiding the property.

On 16-19 April 2024, the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia participated in the DSOCR workshop, organised by UNESCO with participation of IUCN and ICCROM. The financial support provided by the Government of Norway for the conservation of World Heritage properties in Africa is appreciated, in particular the development of DSOCRs for properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

On 29 April 2024, the State Party submitted a revised DSOCR to the World Heritage Centre for further review and advice.

The continued implementation of the Management Plan for the property and allocation of resources is noted. It should be recalled however, that the Committee also requested the State Party to implement the 2020 mission recommendation, to develop an operational plan and a monitoring and evaluation system for the Management Plan to bring the three components of the property under one integrated management unit focused on the preservation of the OUV, and which includes a co-management system agreed with local communities on resource use. Progress achieved on these points, as well as effort to implement the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, including to address the previously reported pressures from poaching, livestock encroachment and illegal fishing, still require clarification.

No updates have been provided by the State Party of Ethiopia on planned and current development projects in the Turkana Basin, including the EIA for the Kuraz Sugar Development Project and the series of dams on the Omo River noted by the 2020 mission (including the Gibe IV (Koysha) and Gibe V dams). In this regard, it remains concerning that no progress has been made on the requested SEA to assess cumulative impacts of the multiple developments in the Omo-Turkana Basin on the property’s OUV, which remains pending since 2014. Recalling again that Lake Turkana is strongly dependent on the Omo River for water inflow, these projects and lack of information on potential downstream impacts on the property remain of concern and may limit future options for mitigating negative impacts on the OUV.

It is commendable that during the April 2024 DSOCR workshop, the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia agreed to reconvene a meeting of the Joint Technical Experts Committee (JTEC), established under the Ethiopia-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission, which is planned for November 2024 to discuss the development of the above-mentioned SEA. This meeting is an opportunity to address the Committee’s outstanding requests to develop the SEA, including a realistic plan and timeframe for the SEA, and to conclude consultations on the draft DSOCR.

It is noted that the latest draft DSOCR has been improved, however further revision is required to align it with the draft proposed in the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, and to ensure that the DSOCR indicators reflect a clear and achievable approach to removing the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. It is also recommended that the meeting of the JTEC highlighted above is used to update the DSOCR for finalisation and adoption. In the meantime, the State Party, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN should agree on the terms of a ‘provisional DSOCR’ by which priority actions could already be agreed and taken to address poaching and encroachment that have led to steep decline and local extinctions of wildlife populations, which were added in 2021 among the threats for the continued inclusion of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Noting the State Party’s emphasis that the location of the LAPSSET Corridor was planned to pass south of the lake to avoid the property, it is important to recall that individual projects are still proposed in the wider setting of the property (e.g., a resort on Lake Turkana; see https://lapsset.go.ke/) which require effective management in accordance with Paragraph 112 of the Operational Guidelines. As repeatedly requested by the Committee, including in its Decision 45 COM 7B.126 concerning the Lamu Old Town World Heritage property, the potential cumulative impacts of the multiple projects on the OUV of the Lamu Old Town and Lake Turkana National Parks World Heritage properties should be clearly assessed through the SEA of the LAPSSET project, and the potential impact of any individual project that may impact the OUV should be assessed through individual ESIAs carried out in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context.

It is regrettable that the State Party did not provide the requested details regarding progress in implementation of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Omo River-Lake Turkana Basin, and it is recommended that this request be reiterated.

Recalling that in 2023 the State Party reported on the rising water level of Lake Turkana, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide an update on this issue and monitor potential impact of the water level variation on the OUV of the property.