Water quality in the Lake Victoria Basin

This research, led by Dr Aaron Neill, seeks to develop a multi-scale understanding of water quality issues in the Lake Victoria Basin and the nature-based solutions (e.g. tree planting, regenerative farming, and water pans) that may provide effective mitigation. To support its development, Aaron undertook a one-week scoping trip to Kenya in November 2023 with Dr Sim Reaney. They were joined by their collaborator Dr Suzanne Jacobs (JLU Giessen), who has worked on nitrate pollution in the South-West Mau region of Kenya since 2014.

The trip involved discussions and site visits with colleagues at the University of Eldoret (led by Dr Frank Masese) and key stakeholders working across the LVB to collectively identify priority water quality issues and the potential for mitigation. The team further visited a number of characteristic landscapes within the Kenyan Lake Victoria Basin to begin building an understanding of the physical environment and the potential mechanisms driving impaired water quality. These included commercial tea and tree plantations, areas of smallholder agriculture, natural forests, and the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria.

Insights from this trip and the relationships it helped build will now underpin the development of research grant applications for submission in the near future.

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Photos taken by Dr Aaron Neill