List of Lakes in Kenya. South of the Ethiopian highlands, the rift valley splits into two major troughs. The Eastern Rift is home to the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, while most of the Central African Rift Valley lakes lie in the Western Rift. This area includes the Gregory Rift in Kenya and Tanzania.
Lakes in Kenya
The Kenyan section of the Rift Valley is home to eight lakes, of which three are freshwater and the rest alkaline. Of the latter, the shallow soda lakes of the Eastern Rift Valley have crystallised salt turning the shores white and are famous for the large flocks of flamingo that feed on crustaceans.
- Lake Baringo: second largest of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes.
- 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi), elevation 970 metres (3,180 ft), freshwater
- Lake Bogoria: shallow soda lake, a national preserve.
- 34 square kilometres (13 sq mi), elevation 990 metres (3,250 ft)
- Lake Elmenteita: shallow soda lake.
- Lake Logipi: a shallow hot-spring fed soda lake in the Suguta Valley just south of Lake Turkana. Formerly Lake Suguta
- Lake Magadi: shallow soda lake near the southern border with Tanzania.
- Lake Naivasha:
- 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi) although it varies somewhat with rainfall, elevation 1,890 metres (6,200 ft), freshwater
- Lake Nakuru: shallow soda lake, has been a national park since 1968.
- 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi), elevation 1,759 metres (5,771 ft)
- Lake Turkana: the largest of the Kenyan lakes, on the border of Kenya and Ethiopia.
- 6,405 square kilometres (2,473 sq mi), elevation 360 metres (1,180 ft), freshwater
The Rift Valley lakes are a series of lakes in the East African Rift valley that runs through eastern Africa from Ethiopia in the north to Malawi in the south, and includes the African Great Lakes in the south. These include some of the world’s oldest lakes, deepest lakes, largest lakes by area, and largest lakes by volume. Many are freshwater ecoregions of great biodiversity, while others are alkaline “soda lakes” supporting highly specialised organisms.
The Rift Valley lakes are well known for the evolution of at least 800 cichlid fish species that live in their waters. More species are expected to be discovered.
The World Wide Fund for Nature has designated these lakes as one of its Global 200 priority ecoregions for conservation.
In this article, the major lakes are listed, generally in order from north to south, and more detailed articles on each lake can be accessed through the linked names.
List of Lakes in Kenya
- Lake Baringo
- Lake Bogoria
- Lake Elmenteita
- Lake Logipi
- Lake Magadi
- Lake Naivasha
- Lake Nakuru
- Lake Turkana (Lake Rudolf or Rudolph)
- Lake Victoria (shared with Tanzania and Uganda
