Kesses Dam (or Lake Lessos) is a small man-made lake in Kenya. It is one of the sources of the Yala River. It is used as a source of water for irrigation and domestic use, and also for boating and other water activities.
Kesses Dam is in Kesses Sub County of Uasin Gishu County, on a plateau in Rift Valley. The climate is cool and temperate.[1] The area has level terrain with medium gradient hills with shallow depressions. There are wetlands and small permanent streams.[2]
Kesses Dam is 31 kilometres (19mi) south of Eldoret town and 6 kilometres (3.7mi) east of the main campus of Moi University, at an elevation of 2,750 metres (9,020ft). It receives most of its water from the Tarakwa and Nderugut rivers, which enter the reservoir from the east through a swamp of Typha latifolia and Cyperus species. The catchment area is about 1,720 hectares (4,300 acres).[3] As of 2012 the reservoir had an area of 189 hectares (470 acres). The average depth is 3 metres (9.8ft). The outlet is the Sambul River to the west.[3] The reservoir is one of the Yala River's main sources.[2]
Development
The dam site was originally a depression on the farm of a Danish colonist, Eric Jorgensen, which covered about 500 acres (200ha) of poor pasture. Jorgensen got the support of six of his neighbors to build a dam, which cost £3,000. Within 50 days two streams had filled the reservoir, which had two arms, 1.5 and 1.25 miles (2.41 and 2.01km) long respectively. As of 1967 there was a yacht club at the dam.[4]
Lessos Dam late 1960's
During the May 1984 parliamentary debate over establishing Moi University at Eldoret it was pointed out that Lake Lessos was nearby and was one of the largest man-made lakes, so the new university would have a plentiful supply of water, an important consideration due to the dry climate. The lake was not being used at the time. It could also be used for experiments by the students taking fisheries courses, and by a yacht club.[5] A large water pipe was installed to carry water to the university.[6]
In a parliamentary debate in 1991 it was noted that the dam was at present only supplying Moi University. However, the dam had been made higher, expanding the reservoir to hold more water, and could be used to supply homesteads in the area.[7] Work was underway to raise the height of the dam and surveys were in progress to bring the water to areas around the Kesses Centre, Kesses Secondary School, Bombay area and residential areas between Kesses Centre and Moi University.[8]
Wildlife
In 1978–1988 the reservoir was used for wintering by several migratory duck species. Mean annual numbers were Wigeon: 8, Northern pintail: 45, Garganey: 105 and Shoveler: 60.[9]
The first fish to be introduced were Tilapiine cichlids.[3] In 1990 and 1996 about 5,000 fingerlings of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were introduced. Barbus and Gambusia species have also been observed.[10]Clinostomum parasites were found in 75% of a sample of fish taken in 2010–2011 from Kesses Dam, with higher levels among males than females. The relatively high levels may be due in part to waste water being released into the reservoir from the nearby urban center and school.[11]
Activities
The Dam is used as a recreational center by the Moi University students, and by the local people and visitors. Activities include boating, fishing, birdwatching and sitatunga viewing.[1]
Boye, Anja; Verchot, Louis; Zomer, Robert (5 March 2008), Baseline Report Yala and Nzoia River Basins(PDF) (Western Kenya Integrated Ecosystem Management Project: Findings from the Baseline Surveys), Nairobi, Kenya: International Centre for Research in Agorforestry, retrieved 2021-03-07
Pearson, D.J.; Meadows, B.S. (1977), "Palearctic duck in Kenya", Scopus, East Africa Natural History Society. Ornithological Sub-Committee: 111, retrieved 2021-03-08
Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, with a surface area of 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi) and an elevation of 970 metres (3,180 ft). The lake is fed by several rivers: the Molo, Perkerra and Ol Arabel. It has no obvious outlet; the waters are assumed to seep through lake sediments into the faulted volcanic bedrock. It is one of the two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley in Kenya, the other being Lake Naivasha.
Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Eldoret is the fifth most populated urban area in the country after Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Ruiru. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) at the airport to more than 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) in nearby areas. The population was 289,380 in the 2009 Census, and it is currently the fastest growing town in Kenya with 475,716 people according to 2019 National Census. Eldoret was on course to be named Kenya's fourth city, but was edged out by Nakuru in 2021.
The Kalenjin are a group of tribes designated as Highland Nilotes and are descended from Maliri people (thus related to Daasanach of Ethiopia.) The Kalenjin are cousins with Datooga people of Tanzania. In contrast, their designation groups them with other Nilotes including Maasai, Luo, Turkana and Nuer, Dinka among others. They are indigenous to East Africa, residing mainly in what was formerly the Rift Valley Province in Kenya and Eastern slopes of Mount Elgon in Uganda. Upon their arrival in the forest region of Mau, the Kalenjin assimilated the aboriginal hunter-gatherer people known as Okiek. They number 6,358,113 individuals per the Kenyan 2019 census and an estimated 300,000 in Uganda mainly in Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo districts. They have been divided into 11 culturally and linguistically related tribes: Kipsigis, Nandi (937,000), Sebei Keiyo, Marakwet, Sabaot (296,000), Pokots, Tugen, Terik, Sengwer, and Ogiek. The Kalenjin speak the Nadi-Marakweta languages but can also be inclusive of Akie language in Tanzania and Pokot language spoken in Kenya; all being classified collectively as Kalenjin Language; while in combination with Datooga languages of Tanzania, this cluster is called Southern Nilotic languages.
Uasin Gishu County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Rift Valley Province. Eldoret has the county's largest population center as well as its administrative and commercial center. “It lies between longitudes 34 degrees 50’ east and 35 degrees 37’ West and latitudes 0 degrees 03’ South and 0 degrees 55’ North. It is a highland plateau with altitudes falling gently from 2,700 meters above sea level to about 1,500 meters above sea level. The topography is higher to the east and declines gently towards the western border”.
Nakuru is a city in the Rift Valley region of the republic of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitants, making it the largest urban center in the Rift Valley, with Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County following closely behind. The city lies along the Nairobi Nakuru Highway, a distance of 160 kilometers from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It is the third largest city and fourth largest urban center by metropolitan area in Kenya, behind Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu respectively. It lies about 1,850 m above sea level.
William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto is a Kenyan politician who is serving as the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first deputy president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Previously, holders of the position were referred to as Vice President. He previously served in several cabinet portfolio such as the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture and as Minister for Higher Education.
Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations from the McKay Commission.
The Nile tilapia is a species of tilapia, a cichlid fish native to the northern half of Africa and the Levante area, including Israel, and Lebanon. Numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. It is also commercially known as mango fish, nilotica, or boulti. The first name leads to easy confusion with another tilapia which is traded commercially, the mango tilapia.
The Elgeyo are an ethnic group who are part of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of Nilotic origin. They live near Eldoret, Kenya, in the highlands of the former Keiyo District, now part of the larger Elgeyo Marakwet County. The Elgeyo originally settled at the foothills of the Elgeyo escarpment, in the area between Kerio river to the east and the escarpment to the west. Due to drought and famine in the valley, the Keiyos climbed the escarpment and started to settle on the highland east of Uasin Gishu plateau. When the British came, the Keiyos were pushed to settle in clusters called reserves.
Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi Hills. According to a 2019 census, the county had a population of 885,711, made up of a number of Kenyan communities, the majority of whom belong to the native tribe called Nandi.
Moi's Bridge is a small town that has its roots both in Uasin Gishu County, Trans Nzoia County and Kakamega County, Kenya. It is a town that has since grown as an agricultural center with the third largest NCPB in East Africa. Moi's Bridge is an electoral ward of the Soy Constituency and Uasin Gishu County. It is an important Kenyan area, often named as the 'bread basket' of Kenya. Moi's Bridge is also a location in the Soy division of Uasin Gishu District.
Paul Kiplimo Boit was a prominent KANU politician during the Moi Regime. He was the Chairman of Sirikwa County Council (which later came to be divided to Nandi County, Uasin Gishu County, Trans Nzoia County, West Pokot County Elgeyo Marakwet County from 1964 to 1971 and later became the Chairman of Wareng County Council one of five Councils split from Sirikwa covering Uasin Gishu. He was best known for his excellent farming skills which earned him many awards and a visit from the former Tanzanian president Ali Hassan Mwinyi
The Sengwer people are an indigenous community who primarily live in the Embobut forest in the western highlands of Kenya and in scattered pockets across Trans Nzoia, West Pokot and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties. The Sengwer are sometimes portrayed as a component of the Marakwet people but are a distinct ethnic grouping.
Alten Solar Power Station, also Kesses 1 Solar Power Station, is a 55 megawatts (74,000 hp) solar power plant under construction in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community.
The Olkaria–Lessos–Kisumu High Voltage Power Line is a high voltage electricity power line connecting the high voltage substation at Olkaria, Kenya to another high voltage substation at Kisumu, Kenya.
Mutai is a term used by the Maa-speaking communities of Kenya to describe a period of wars, usually triggered by disease and/or drought affecting widespread areas of the Rift Valley region of Kenya. According to Samburu and Maasai tradition, two periods of Mutai occurred during the nineteenth century. The second Mutai lasted from the 1870s to the 1890s.
Alexander Kipsang Muge (1948–1990) was an Anglican bishop in Kenya: he was Bishop of Eldoret from 1983 until his death in 1990.
The Yala River is a river of western Kenya, a tributary of Lake Victoria. It generally flows fast over a rocky bed through a wide valley before joining the Nzoia River to form the Yala Swamp on the border of Lake Victoria. The land along its course is mostly cultivated or used for grazing, with relatively few remnants of the original forest. Soil erosion is visible throughout the river basin, particularly in the lower parts. Projects are underway to exploit the river for hydroelectricity.
Lake Kanyaboli is a lake in the Yala Swamp in western Kenya. It is important as a refuge for fish species that have almost disappeared from Lake Victoria.
Lake Sare is a lake in western Kenya that lies between the Yala Swamp and Lake Victoria. It has potential as a site for restocking fish species that have become endangered in Lake Victoria, but due to lack of management the lake ecology is steadily degrading.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
