Upper Tana watershed, Kenya
Proposed focus area
Kenya's longest river, where caring for the land upstream shapes the water that reaches millions downstream.
The Tana is Kenya's longest river. It gathers water in the central highlands, crosses the drier east of the country and reaches the Indian Ocean. Our proposed focus is the upper watershed, a patchwork of farms, forest, tea, coffee and grazing land.
A UNEP publication on the basin's ecosystem services names poor land use, pollution, soil erosion, overgrazing, deforestation and farmland spreading into savannah and wetlands among the pressures. It also notes that planned dams and diversion schemes could affect ecosystems and downstream communities.
The basin supplies drinking water and hydropower, so what happens upstream matters to many people far away. The publication looks at the basin broadly and does not measure any single stretch of river.
In a watershed story, protection starts on the land. Our proposed contribution is to learn from organizations already working with upstream communities, then explore community stewardship, simple water monitoring and technical support that complements their work.
Cleaning the river itself would probably be a small part of any role we play. Safe water access would be a distinct program led by qualified local specialists.
The Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust works on watershed conservation in the Upper Tana. It is a trust, and we list it as an organization to explore, not as a partner.
Any role for Flow for Tomorrow would follow the lead of Kenyan farmers, water users and organizations.
The next steps are to learn how existing watershed programs work, find out where monitoring or technical skills would be useful, and keep expectations modest until local leaders say what would help.
We would also look at how stories and data from upstream communities could reach the people downstream who depend on the same water.
Listings are informational and do not imply a partnership with Flow for Tomorrow.
Organization to exploreWorks in a related habitat
A trust focused on watershed conservation and management in the Upper Tana, the highland catchment that feeds the Tana River. Its work is in the upper catchment rather than on urban rivers.
Official website of Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund Trust (external site)
If you work on or live near Tana River, we would like to hear what would genuinely help.
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