Protecting water, wetlands, and commons under competing claims

Solutionscape

Part of the region

Kenya

Kenya

Protecting water, wetlands, and commons under competing claims

Solutionscape

Part of the region

Kenya

Kenya

Traditionally, the wetland served as a vital source of water, particularly during the dry season, when it provided grazing ground for pastoralists' livestock as well as wildlife, including large elephant herds. For a long time, farmers also depended on water from the spring and river flowing from the wetland. In recent years, small-scale farming has expanded, with cash crops like tomato and onion relying heavily on groundwater for irrigation. Wildlife and pastoralists, who travel long distances to the Gambella wetland in search of water during dry seasons and droughts, remain among the most vulnerable. As rainfall patterns shift and flows from Mount Kenya change, a functional wetland is critical for the resilience of both nature and people.

To address these challenges, the Wyss Academy has brought together diverse stakeholders to form a Coalition for Change. At the community level, a Wetland Management Committee was established to oversee day-to-day governance of the wetland and its water resources. Current projects focus on strengthening governance, supporting wetland regeneration and vegetation restoration, and providing access to water for wildlife, livestock, and households—while ensuring that fragile wetland vegetation under restoration remains protected. The aim is to develop nature-positive livelihood options that reduce pressure on the wetland while benefiting both people and nature.

In 2025, Gambella’s wetlands shifted from planning to collective action. Communities, government, and partners worked side by side to ease pressure on the fragile wetland’s ecosystem through practical water conservation solutions, youth-led restoration, and renewed protection of wildlife corridors. What emerged was not only infrastructure, but a culture of trust and shared responsibility—laying the foundation for a future where water security, livelihoods, and biodiversity thrive together.

Joseph Ombega
Associated Researcher

Main achievements in 2025

In 2025, work in Gambella shifted from preparation to delivery. To ease pressure on the wetland and enable regeneration, a water infrastructure package—an elevated tank, watering troughs for livestock and wildlife, and community water points—was launched alongside broad community participation and awareness-raising on sustainable wetland use. Youth engagement grew through hands-on restoration and training that built practical skills and opened pathways to nature-based livelihoods. Participatory mapping of wildlife corridors, especially elephant routes, also began guiding efforts to reopen blocked pathways and reduce human–wildlife conflicts.

The year ended with the establishment of Gambella wetland governance structures, better protection of fragile areas, and a renewed sense of possibility—showing that collective action can turn a pressured wetland into a shared resource, managed for the long term.

  • Key Changes

    • Coalition for Change establishment and formalization
    • Formation and Capacity Building of the Water Infrastructure Management Unit (WIMU)
    • Youth-led tree nursery establishment

  • livestock and wildlife troughs constructed, with 2 community water points 8

  • acres of wetland demarcated and secured 67

  • people trained in sustainable gum and resin harvesting 94

  • Coalition for Change establishment and formalization

    Through consultative engagements with key stakeholders, a unified coalition was established around a shared vision for restoring the Gambella Wetland. The coalition brings together approximately 40 members drawn from national and county government agencies, including the National Land Commission (NLC), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), as well as local community representatives and nongovernmental organizations.

    Through a comprehensive and participatory process, the coalition adopted the name "Gambella Wetland Guardians," which reflects its collective identity and commitment to safeguarding the wetland ecosystem. A core mandate of the Coalition for Change is to lead advocacy, coordinate restoration efforts, and provide facilitative leadership for restoration initiatives within the Gambella Wetland, while fostering inclusive participation and accountability among all stakeholders.

    A planning session with the Gambella Wetland Guardians, where partners agreed roles and coordination steps for wetland restoration work.

  • Formation and Capacity Building of the Water Infrastructure Management Unit

    To strengthen wetland governance, a five-member Water Infrastructure Management Unit (WIMU) was established to support the Wetland Management Committee in day-to-day wetland operations. The unit is responsible for protecting and maintaining water infrastructure, monitoring encroachment, and collecting revenue generated through community water points.

    Following its establishment, a series of targeted training sessions was conducted, covering financial literacy, riparian and wetland protection, participatory governance and leadership, and the operation and maintenance of water infrastructure. Following the training, the WIMU support team has, on several occasions, undertaken maintenance of the water infrastructure, including repairing burst pipes. In addition, the team has demonstrated strong conflict management capacity by peacefully addressing cases of wetland encroachment without escalating tensions.

    Training session with the Wetland Management Committee and the Water Infrastructure Management Unit (WIMU), strengthening skills for day-to-day management of Gambella’s water points.

  • Youth-led tree nursery establishment

    To support wetland restoration and youth livelihoods, a youth-led tree nursery with a production capacity of 100,000 seedlings was established. By the end of 2025, an initial 40,000 seedlings had been raised in readiness for the April–May 2026 long rains. The youth group expects to make its first sales during the 2026 rainy season, with group members and local communities as customers.

    The nursery grows a diverse mix of indigenous tree species (40%) and locally preferred fruit trees (60%), selected through community consultations—particularly with elders—to reflect local ecological knowledge and livelihood priorities.

    The nursery site was carefully identified by the Wetland Management Committee—a body of riparian landowners that, together with the Wyss Academy and the Centre for Training and Integrated Research in ASAL Development (CETRAD), oversees the management of the wetland. To ensure the best ecological choice, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) provided technical guidance. Day-to-day nursery operations are managed by the locally rooted ENLITE Youth Group, whose members take care of weeding, watering, and monitoring the development of the seedlings.

    A youth-led tree nursery in Kenya’s Gambella Wetland Solutionscape supports wetland restoration and local livelihoods, with indigenous and fruit tree species grown for planting during the long rains.

Impact Story

  • Youth-Led Tree Nurseries Driving Livelihoods and Restoration in Gambella

    In Gambella, young people are taking the lead in restoring degraded landscapes while building sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their communities. Working with our key local implementing partner, CETRAD, a community-based youth group of twenty young women and men has turned a tree nursery into a viable source of both conservation impact and income for their community.

    ENLITE Youth Group members tend seedling beds at the Gambella wetland nursery, where young people are building practical skills for restoration and future planting.

Projects in this Solutionscape

Related publications

Annual Report 2025