A community’s fight to save its lifeline: Yala Swamp

Despite its recognition as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), Yala Samp faces mounting threats from land grabs, encroachment, and habitat destruction, placing its biodiversity at grave risk.
By Caroline Ng’weno & John Mwacharo
Yala Swamp is a vital sanctuary for an incredible array of wildlife, including the endangered Cichlid fish, the elusive Sitatunga antelope, and vast flocks of waterbirds, migratory birds, and threatened papyrus species such as the Papyrus Gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri) and the Papyrus Yellow Warbler (Calamonastides gracilirostris)
Despite its recognition as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), the wetland faces mounting threats from land grabs, encroachment, and habitat destruction, placing its biodiversity at grave risk. For local communities, conserving the swamp not only ensures the long-term survival of its unique biodiversity but also secures their future.
Yala Swamp in western Kenya is more than just a wetland. It is the heartbeat of over 250,000 people. Land and water sustain thousands of lives here, providing food, water, and livelihoods. But this vital ecosystem is under siege from land encroachment, illegal development, and pollution. While threats loom large, communities there are proving that conservation is most powerful when led by those who depend on Yala Swamp the most.
“We don’t just live near the swamp; we live with it,” says Ayiro Lwala, a leader of the Yala Ecosystem Site Support Group (SSG). “Its health is our health. If it suffers, we suffer. If it thrives, we thrive. We are its guardians, and we will fight for its future.”
For years, Yala Swamp has been at risk of destruction. Instead of relying on outside intervention, local communities have taken a stand. Through grassroots action, they have mobilized to protect and restore their wetland, showing the world that conservation is more than just an environmental concern – it is a fight for survival.
When the National Land Commission announced, in late 2021, its intention to allocate 6,764 ha of Yala Swamp to a private developer, Lake Agro Ltd, community members from the area went to the High Court to block them. With support from Nature Kenya, the BirdLife International partner in Kenya, and other conservation stakeholders, the aggrieved communities petitioned against the plan to the land commission, the National Environment Management Authority, the Siaya County government, and other public institutions. They also extensively used the mass media to voice their concerns. The National Land Commission went ahead with the allocation despite the people’s sustained campaign against it.
All is not lost
Working collaboratively with the Siaya and Busia county governments, the local communities, and the national government, Nature Kenya have developed a Land Use Plan (LUP) for Yala Swamp, which is currently being implemented. The Yala LUP seeks to balance the development and conservation needs at the wetland. This involves addressing the settlement and livelihood needs of communities and fairness in land resource allocation (for both investors and communities). It serves to protect the wetland’s unique biodiversity by embracing strong conservation ethics and highlights the environmental services given by the swamp that support the economy, biodiversity, and livelihoods.
The Busia County Assembly has ratified the Yala Delta Land Use Plan, with its Siaya counterpart expected to follow suit.
As prescribed in the Yala Delta LUP, the communities, in collaboration with multi-agency stakeholders and support from Nature Kenya, established an 8,404-ha Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA) in the heart of Yala Swamp. A management committee elected by community members oversees the ICCA, which consists of natural areas surrounded by open-access farming and grazing lands, riverine forests, and papyrus wetlands.
Habitat restoration
The locals have also undertaken habitat restoration activities at the wetland. Within the ICCA, they have restored 66.7 ha of degraded wetland by planting papyrus per the management committee’s guidelines for promoting natural papyrus regeneration in degraded areas. In addition, they have planted over 200,000 indigenous trees in the Yala River riparian zone to date.
“With increased community engagement, we are optimistic that things will work well. The progress is so far encouraging. Restoration efforts through papyrus planting will sustain and even enhance the habitat for papyrus endemics and migratory birds in areas previously degraded,” notes Vivian Wasike, the Nature Kenya site officer for Yala Swamp.
Sustainable livelihoods
Equipped with skills and knowledge gained through training and capacity-building, the communities also engage in various nature-based income-generating activities (IGAs). These activities include papyrus weaving, fish farming, climate-smart agriculture, beekeeping, poultry farming, and ecotourism. A mutually agreed-upon portion of the earnings from these enterprises is allocated to support site monitoring, restoration, advocacy, environmental education, and awareness-raising activities.
Looking ahead
Local communities fully support the push to designate Yala Swamp as a Ramsar site to consolidate its conservation status further nationally and globally. They believe the swamp’s listing would provide a framework for its sustainable management, balancing conservation with their needs. It would also open doors to funding and technical support, enhancing sustainable ventures like papyrus weaving, climate-smart agriculture, fish farming, ecotourism, poultry farming and beekeeping to flourish. These nature-based enterprises have the potential to support conservation while improving livelihoods.
Moreover, the Ramsar recognition is envisaged to elevate Yala Swamp’s global profile, fostering a sense of pride and responsibility among residents.
Through its affiliate groups in Bunyala, Yimbo, Upper Yala, and Kanyaboli, the Yala Ecosystem SSG is fronting efforts to secure Ramsar recognition for Yala Swamp. The groups have held awareness campaigns, capacity-building workshops, and community-led initiatives, which have been crucial in mobilizing public support. A notable milestone of their efforts has been the drafting of a “No Objection” letter by local communities, signalling a strong public backing for the Ramsar listing process.
Header Image: An aerial view of a section of Yala Swamp © John Mwacharo




We don’t just live near the swamp; we live with it. Its health is our health. If it suffers, we suffer. If it thrives, we thrive. We are its guardians, and we will fight for its future.
Ayiro Lwala, leader of the Yala Ecosystem Site Support Group (SSG)







With increased community engagement, we are optimistic that things will work well. The progress is so far encouraging. Restoration efforts through papyrus planting will sustain and even enhance the habitat for papyrus endemics and migratory birds in areas previously degraded
Vivian Wasike, Nature Kenya Site Officer for Yala Swamp