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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Kusa swamp, at the mouth of River Nyando, is a wetland at the easternmost end of Lake Victoria’s Winam Gulf. Dense stands of papyrus
Cyperus papyrus are fringed on the lakeward side by the water grass
Vossia cuspidata and along the shore by reeds
Phragmites spp.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. Kusa includes a substantial stand of papyrus, and the Near Threatened
Laniarius mufumbiri is fairly abundant here. Other Lake Victoria Basin biome species include the papyrus endemics
Bradypterus carpalis and
Cisticola carruthersi, and it is suspected that
Serinus koliensis and the globally threatened
Chloropeta gracilirostris are likely to occur.
Non-bird biodiversity: Little information is available. The ungulate Tragelaphus spekii (LR/nt) occurs but is uncommon, and the snake Python sebae has been recorded. Like other wetlands around the shores of Lake Victoria, Kusa is probably an important refuge for a number of the lake’s endemic haplochromine fish species.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Kusa remains a sizeable enough papyrus swamp to be of conservation importance. However, uncontrolled cutting of papyrus by local residents and pollution and siltation from the Nyando river are serious threats. Though papyrus shows remarkable powers of regeneration, unsustain-able cutting for the local mat-making industry has the potential to destroy the wetland. Local residents are also opening up the swamp for rice farming.
Tragelaphus spekii, though already rare, are hunted. The lakeward side is almost choked by water-hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes. As in many parts of Lake Victoria, infestation by this exotic weed has prevented fishermen from fishing, forcing them to seek alternative forms of livelihood and adding greatly to the human pressure on wetlands.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kusa swamp (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kusa-swamp-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.
