The Lake Naivasha region is a beautiful and diverse landscape in the Rift Valley. Dotted with hundreds of yellow-green flat-top acacia and an abundance of wildlife, it carries the mystery of many ancient African landscapes. The name of the lake is a colonial misinterpretation of the original Maasai name Nai’posha meaning ‘rough water’, in reference to the afternoon storms that can produce high white capped waves across the lake.
Driving only an hour from Nairobi, you can quickly find yourself in a stylish Naivasha lodge. Perhaps this is why Naivasha is the location of choice for romantics, as was the case on Valentines day. The British colonialists may have thought likewise, as Naivasha was the venue for the infamous ‘white mischief’: the location of lavish, decadent and hedonistic escapades by the settlers, against a rugged African backdrop. To this day, Naivasha remains a prime location for clandestine romance. But, I’m not here to talk about the color of mischief or horizontal pastimes.
To the west of a shimmering Lake Naivasha, the Eastern side of the Mau Summit rises majestically. While the rivers from the Mau Forest may not drain into Lake Naivasha, research has shown that the micro-climate created by the Mau permits Lake Naivasha to be fresh water in an otherwise soda lake area. In other words, by creating an abundant resource of fresh water, the Mau Forest has developed conditions necessary for this booming flower industry to thrive.
These flower farms are owned by members of the past and present political elite and international businessmen, who pay little attention to the fact that their flower farms have contributed extensively to the receding levels of what was one of the largest fresh water bodies in East and Central Africa. To illustrate their malaise, despite the fact that the Lake has receded an average of 1.5 kilometers in the last 3 years, the receding lake is viewed as a natural cycle that occurs every 30 years or so.
Naivasha Flower Farms with the East Mau Summit in the background
While these prestigious flower farms may produce some of the finest flowers in the international market, they have created their wealth on the back of local slave labor. An interview with a few workers from several flower farms in Naivasha reveals that the worker were being exposed directly to pesticides with devastating results.
Listen to the personal stories of those that work who work in the flower farms
Go to ‘journeymanpictures’ to watch the full 52 minute documentary.
There were reported cases of birth defects, finger, hand and foot amputations, chest infections, chronic migraines and nausea. With long work hours, beyond 12 hours a day, many had problems with their ankles and knees. Keep in mind that many of these workers have families and earn less than $ 2.5 a day, keeping them stuck in a cycle of poverty. With the local flower industry making over $ 264 million dollars per annum, and KES 7 billion going to the government annually, the government has little or no incentive to lift a finger to address the constant humiliation of their own people.
Two days after this post went online,the KWS responded…to the issue of poisoned fish:
While the Mau Forest may have contributed a free environmental service to Lake Naivasha and it’s environs by creating a suitable micro-climate, human ingenuity has taken this free service and created a booming international flower industry. However, human greed has turned this free service into a tool to enslave both the local people and the environment.
However, as Lady bird Johnson said “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”
Three days after this post went online, the GOK (Government of Kenya) responded…to the issue of the poisoned fish. Please read the following article on the government response from the East African Standard, a national Kenyan daily paper: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePag…
Have a hopeful day,
Mukuria
