The Kenya Lake system in the Great Rift Valley : The great Rift Valley is part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from North to South. There is also the Gregory Rift which is the eastern branch of the East African Rift, which starts in Tanzania in the south and continues Northwards into Ethiopia. It is created by the interaction of three major tectonic palates which are Arabian, Nubian and Somalian plates. It was in the past considered part of the Great Rift Valley which ran from Madagascar to Syria. In kenya most of the valley falls within the former Rift Valley province.
The Rift Valley contains chain of volcanoes some of which are still active, Cherengani hills and Tugen hills to the West of Lake Baringo being part of it. Where many hominids and remains of fossils which are preserved in lava flows, ancestors of humans have been found.
The floor of the Valley contains a series of lakes ,while it is bordered by escarpments to the west and east. Lake Turkana is located in the Northern end of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya which still have some active volcanoes. Suguta Mud flats or Suguta Valley is the arid part of the Great Rift Valley lies south of Lake Turkana. Further south Mount Silali and paka rise from the floor of the Valley. South of paka are Mount Korosi ,Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria. There is also Menengai overlooking lake Nakuru to the south, which is a massive shield volcano in the floor of the Valley with a caldera that formed about 8,000 years ago. This region too includes Lake Elementaita, Mount kipipiri and Lake Naivasha.
To the south of Lake Naivasha, there is Hell’s Gate National Park. Mount longonot which erupted during the early 1900s has its ash still being felt around Hell’s Gate, it is currently a Stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha and Mount Suswa a shield volcano located between Narok and Nairobi. Lake Magadi is the most Southern Rift Valley Lake in kenya , although Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania reaches into Kenya.
Elgeyo Escarpment is the western Wall of the Rift Valley, with kerio Valley lying between Tugen hills and Elgeyo Escarpment with an elevation of 1000 metres. In the kerio Valley there is large deposits of Fluorite with a natural cliff further south of Mau Escarpment with a steep of 1,000 m high.
The Kenya Great Lakes system in the Great Rift Valley consist of three lakes; Lake Elementaita, Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria. In kenya there are 64 lakes out of the total lakes found in the African continental. Eight of these make up the main lakes in the Kenyan Rift Valley, from North to south are; Lake Turkana, Lake Logipi ,Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita, Lake Naivasha and Lake Magadi. From the above eight lakes ,it is only Lake Baringo and Lake Naivasha which are the freshwater lakes. The other lakes are shallow, poorly drained, and are therefore alkaline. They have water rich in blue-green algae which is the source of food for insect larvae, small crustaceans and Lesser flamingos. The larvae and crustaceans are main food for fish and greater flamingos.
The three shallow alkaline lakes and their surrounding lands make up the Kenya Lake system. They are Lake Bogoria which has 10,700 hectares, Lake Nakuru at 18,800 hectares and Lake Elementaita at 2,534 hectares. This region has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world and is home to thirteen globally threatened species of birds. The three lakes forms the important nesting and breeding site for great white pelicans ,they are the most important feeding area for lesser flamingos in the world. Some of the birds that are found in the region include a population of Black-necked grebe ,African spoonbill, pied Avocet, little grebe, yellow-billed storks, black-winged stilt, grey-headed gull and gull- billed tern among other birds.
The Kenya Lake system is a key route area by huge number of birds in their annual migration West Asian -East African Flyway a route followed by migratory birds from their breeding grounds in the North to wintering places in Africa. The lands around the lakes is also inhabited by a good population of wildlife which includes a large population of black Rhinoceros, Rothschild’s giraffes, Greater kudu ,Lions, Cheetahs, Zebras, Impalas, gazelles, warthogs, Eland, Baboons, bushbuck, Aardvark, African civet cat among other animals. The Kenya Lake system is surrounded by the steep Rift Valley escarpment giving is a spectacular backdrop.
Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes at an elevation of 1,754 metres, located in Nakuru county . It has a size of 188Km² and it is protected by Lake Nakuru National park ,it is an alkaline lake known for its large population of Flamingos, sometimes painting the lake pink. The lake has a surface area of between 5 to 45 kilometres square with no outflow or cracks at the floor of the Lake. Nakuru means dust or dusty place in the Maasai language. This is one of the fascinating places to visit in Kenya and the best tourist attraction site in Nakuru Kenya.
The lake has abundant algae which attracts a vast quantity of flamingos that famously line its shores. Despite the lake famously being known for its large population of pink flamingos, other birds too flourish in the area.
LAKE BOGORIA
The lake is found in Rift Valley ,Kenya formerly Baringo district now Baringo county. The lake is protected by lake Bogoria National Reserve. The distance from the Kenya Capital Nairobi to the lake is approximately 239 km by road .It has two primary inflows Sandai and Emsos rivers with no outlet. Lake Bogoria is about 34 km long by 3.5 km wide with a drainage basin of 700km².It was formerly known as Lake Hannington. It is a saline ,alkaline lake in a volcanic region. It is famous for its geysers bubbling with the most spectacular hot water volcanic springs and its huge population of pink flamingos which come to feed on algae and drink fresh water from lake side sprouts . The lake is highly alkaline and twice salty as sea water, and for that reason it can’t support fish.
Lake Elementaita
It is located in Nakuru county ,120 kilometers Northwest from Nairobi Kenya. It is named after a Maasai word meaning dust Place, because of the dustiness of the area which is extremely dry during the months of January and March. The nearby town to the lake is Gilgil town. It is located between Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru, with the major Nakuru – Nairobi highway in the nearby escarpment according travelers and motorists a spectacular view of the lake. The lake has been named as an UNESCO heritage site together with Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria because of its bird life. To the southern end of the lake is the kikopey hot springs in which fish the lake Magadi tilapia breed has been introduced and it is now the fishing ground for the night herons and pelicans.
