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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Koguta swamp is a wetland at the mouth of the Sondu-Miriu river, a few kilometres south-west of the Nyando river mouth on the shores of Lake Victoria. The vegetation consists mainly of reeds
Phragmites spp. interspersed with patches of papyrus
Cyperus papyrus and
Vossia cuspidata. Koguta is flooded during the wet season, while during the dry season the area is heavily grazed and trampled by cattle and hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius.
See Box and Table 3 for key species.
Chloropeta gracilirostris has been recorded here (but appears to be uncommon), one of six Lake Victoria Basin biome species that are known to occur, including the papyrus endemics
Laniarius mufumbiri (relatively abundant),
Bradypterus carpalis and
Cisticola carruthersi.
Non-bird biodiversity: Little information is available. The ungulate Tragelaphus spekii (LR/nt) and the snake Python sebae occur, but their status is unknown. Like other wetlands around the shores of Lake Victoria, Koguta is probably an important refuge for a number of the lake’s endemic haplochromine fish species.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site is almost inaccessible from the lakeward side due to dense mats of water-hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes. As in many part of Lake Victoria, infestation by this exotic weed has prevented fishermen from fishing, forcing them to seek alternative forms of livelihood. This adds greatly to the human pressure on papyrus swamps and other wetlands. Unsustainable cutting of papyrus, and overgrazing by cattle during the dry season when the water level recedes threatens Koguta. It requires formal protection, and a community conservation programme that will work towards controlled, sustainable use of the wetland.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Koguta swamp (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/koguta-swamp-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.
