The Kinangop Plateau is a region in Kenya that lies between the Kenyan Rift Valley to the west and the Aberdare Range to the east. It takes its name from Kinangop Mountain , which rises in the Aberdares to the east.
18-586: The edge of the plateau is about 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) in elevation. The plateau is relatively flat, sloping gradually upwards towards the foothills of the Aberdares. Rainfall is around 1,000 millimetres (39 in) annually, with more rainfall in the north than the south. Streams that feed the Malewa and Karati rivers have cut into the plateau. These rivers in turn flow into Lake Naivasha . Soils include ando‐luvic and verto‐luvic phaeozems . At one time
36-610: A plot on the side of the Kipipiri Mountain , which rises above the plateau, building a house called "Clouds" that became notorious for parties involving drug use and promiscuous sex. Josslyn Hay , a member of this set, was shot dead in 1941. During the Mau Mau emergency between 1952 and 1960, huge areas of the "White Highlands" were designated prohibited or restricted to non-Europeans. The Aberdares, Kinangop plateau and Mount Kipipiri were among these. Any African found in
54-552: Is mainly covered by scrub, with some bare soil. Rainfall peaks between April and June and again in October and November. Erosion is highest in these months. The Malewa River is fed by streams that run through the Kinangop Plateau . At one time the plateau was almost completely covered in tussocky grassland with very few trees. The stream valleys had many tussocky bogs. The plateau has been settled by Kikuyu farmers since
72-606: Is not equitable in the region. Water conflict is common and poverty is widespread. Improvements to resource management practices could cause major improvements in reducing pollution and erosion. Kinangop Plateau The Kinangop Plateau is a region in Kenya that lies between the Kenyan Rift Valley to the west and the Aberdare Range to the east. It takes its name from Kinangop Mountain , which rises in
90-627: The 1960s. They have ploughed much of the land to grow maize, wheat, cabbage and potatoes. The wetlands have mostly been drained. Where drainage has not been deliberate, the trees planted for poles and firewood have absorbed the water. The trend is towards more intensive cultivation of food crops and cash crops. The river is threatened by deforestation and siltation, increasing diversion of water for irrigation, and pollution by fertilizers and pesticides. In August 1997 sediment-laden plumes of Malewa river water extended about 500 metres (1,600 ft) into Lake Naivasha. Access to natural resources and markets
108-509: The Aberdares to the east. The edge of the plateau is about 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) in elevation. The plateau is relatively flat, sloping gradually upwards towards the foothills of the Aberdares. Rainfall is around 1,000 millimetres (39 in) annually, with more rainfall in the north than the south. Streams that feed the Malewa and Karati rivers have cut into the plateau. These rivers in turn flow into Lake Naivasha . Soils include ando‐luvic and verto‐luvic phaeozems . At one time
126-567: The Malewa basin are relatively shallow but are all perennial. The Aberdare range receives about 1,200 millimetres (47 in) of rain annually and has large areas of dense forest. The highlands drained by the Malewa are volcanic and contribute sodium and calcium to the water through chemical weathering of the rocks. Sulphate in the water comes from the atmosphere. The floor of the Rift Valley gets just 600 millimetres (24 in) each year and
144-485: The alignment of a wildlife corridor between Kipipiri and the main Aberdare park, with plans to fence the corridor. Grids of rolling bars with gaps between them replace the fence at the points where roads cross the corridor, forming an obstacle that cars can cross but that wildlife will not attempt. This keeps the wildlife, particularly elephants, away from farmers' fields. Malewa River The Malewa River rises in
162-472: The area could legally be shot on sight. Their presence justified "reasonable suspicion" that they were terrorists. The plateau has been settled by Kikuyu farmers since the 1960s who have ploughed much of the land to grow maize, wheat, cabbage, and potatoes. They have replaced the tussocks with grasses that are easier for livestock to eat, and have planted woodlots across the plateau. The wetlands have mostly been drained. Where drainage has not been deliberate,
180-470: The area could legally be shot on sight. Their presence justified "reasonable suspicion" that they were terrorists. The plateau has been settled by Kikuyu farmers since the 1960s who have ploughed much of the land to grow maize, wheat, cabbage, and potatoes. They have replaced the tussocks with grasses that are easier for livestock to eat, and have planted woodlots across the plateau. The wetlands have mostly been drained. Where drainage has not been deliberate,
198-465: The percentage of rainfall getting into Lake Naivasha are not clear. Possibly in low-rainfall years the percentage will drop because of water abstraction, while in high-rainfall years the percentage will go up because of cultivated soils having a lower water-holding capacity and the introduction of more 100% runoff surfaces like tarmac roads and iron sheets, etc. The Malewa River catchment of 1,730 square kilometres (670 sq mi) provides about 90% of
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#1732801923462216-463: The plateau was almost completely covered in tussocky grassland with very few trees. The stream valleys had many tussocky bogs. After a railway was built, in the 1920s to 1940s the Wanjohi Valley became a British settler community that gained notoriety as the " Happy Valley set ". The immigrants bought land at low cost to raise sheep and cattle. Idina Sackville , a member of this set, bought
234-407: The plateau was almost completely covered in tussocky grassland with very few trees. The stream valleys had many tussocky bogs. After a railway was built, in the 1920s to 1940s the Wanjohi Valley became a British settler community that gained notoriety as the " Happy Valley set ". The immigrants bought land at low cost to raise sheep and cattle. Idina Sackville , a member of this set, bought a plot on
252-477: The side of the Kipipiri Mountain , which rises above the plateau, building a house called "Clouds" that became notorious for parties involving drug use and promiscuous sex. Josslyn Hay , a member of this set, was shot dead in 1941. During the Mau Mau emergency between 1952 and 1960, huge areas of the "White Highlands" were designated prohibited or restricted to non-Europeans. The Aberdares, Kinangop plateau and Mount Kipipiri were among these. Any African found in
270-565: The trees planted for poles and firewood have absorbed the water. Farm lots are being broken up to be divided between family members. The trend is away from animal husbandry and towards more intensive cultivation of food crops and cash crops. Mount Kipipiri is a cone-shaped extinct volcano that rises from the plateau in the north. It is part of the Aberdare National Park . The mountain is completely ringed by an electric fence. In June 2009 lengthy negotiations were concluded over
288-490: The trees planted for poles and firewood have absorbed the water. Farm lots are being broken up to be divided between family members. The trend is away from animal husbandry and towards more intensive cultivation of food crops and cash crops. Mount Kipipiri is a cone-shaped extinct volcano that rises from the plateau in the north. It is part of the Aberdare National Park . The mountain is completely ringed by an electric fence. In June 2009 lengthy negotiations were concluded over
306-653: The water flowing into Lake Naivasha, with most of the remainder coming from the Gilgil River . The headwaters of the main channel of the Malewa originate at an elevation of 3,700 metres (12,100 ft) in the Nyandarua (Aberdare) mountains. Its tributary the Wanjohi is fed by several small rivers running from the slopes of the Aberdares. Other tributaries are the Turasha , Simba, Nyairoko and Ol Kalou. The rivers in
324-488: The western slopes of the Aberdare Range in Kenya and flows south and west into Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley . Lake Naivasha is an important source of water in a semi-arid environment, and supports export-oriented horticulture and floriculture businesses as well as tourism. Malewa River water quality has deteriorated because of more human activities in the upper catchment. Long-term effects of this on
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