Rising Water Levels And The Loss And Damage On Shoreline Communities At Lake Turkana In Marsabit County, Kenya

This research examines the impacts of rising Lake Turkana water levels on shoreline communities in Loiyangalani, Moite and Illeret, Marsabit County. The assessment reveals a severe and escalating humanitarian, ecological and livelihood crisis driven by climate-induced rainfall variability in the Omo River catchment and upstream dam operations in Ethiopia. Since 2010, and more sharply after 2019, lake levels have risen rapidly, inundating thousands of hectares, displacing settlements and disrupting livelihoods. A mixed-methods approach combined geospatial analysis of satellite imagery (2017–2025) with focus group discussions, key informant interviews, field observations and structured engagement with ten Beach Management Units comprising 2,504 members. The study triangulates scientific evidence with community experiences to document the scale and impacts of loss and damage.