By GPC Reporter
Preparations are complete for the 15th Mara Day celebrations, which will bring together government officials, conservationists, communities and other stakeholders in Bomet County from September 12–15, 2026.
The annual event, organised by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), will focus on conservation, environmental stewardship and community participation in protecting the Mara River ecosystem.
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A series of activities will precede the main celebrations, including conservation exhibitions, tree-planting exercises, clean-up campaigns, sports and games, essay-writing competitions and the installation of beacons to mark riparian setbacks in the Mara River Basin.
The activities will begin on September 12, ahead of a Stakeholders’ Forum scheduled for September 14 at Bomet University.
The forum will bring together key actors involved in the conservation and sustainable management of the Mara River Basin before the main Mara Day celebrations at Bomet Stadium on September 15.
This year’s celebrations will be held under the theme “Mara River, Diverse Lives: Keep It Thriving”, translated into Swahili as “Mto Mara, Uhai wa Viumbe, Tuuutunze.” The theme highlights the river’s ecological importance and the need to protect the diverse forms of life that depend on it.
LVBC Executive Secretary Dr Masinde Bwire said high-level officials from Kenya and Tanzania are expected to attend the celebrations, including Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers responsible for relevant sectors.
He said preparations had involved consultations between the two East African Community (EAC) Partner States.
“A series of meetings between representatives and stakeholders from the two EAC Partner States have been held to prepare for this important event, whose aim is to create awareness and promote the conservation of the Mara ecosystem,” said Dr Bwire.
Annual celebrations
Mara Day is observed annually by EAC Partner States to raise awareness about the conservation and sustainable management of the Mara River Basin.
The celebrations provide a platform for governments, conservation organisations, local communities, development partners, researchers, students and other stakeholders to discuss environmental protection and strengthen regional cooperation.
The Mara Ecosystem is a key part of the Lake Victoria Basin, supporting biodiversity, tourism and the livelihoods of millions of people across the region.
The 10th Sectoral Council of Ministers for Lake Victoria Basin, held in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 4, 2012, declared September 15 as Mara Day. The date coincides with the annual Great Wildebeest Migration between Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve.
LVBC coordinates the annual celebrations on a rotational basis among EAC Partner States. Tanzania hosted the 14th Mara Day in Butiama District, Mara Region, in 2025.
Beyond marking the importance of the Mara–Serengeti ecosystem, the annual event has also become a platform for advancing transboundary cooperation between Kenya and Tanzania.
Among the notable milestones are the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries on the management of transboundary water resources in the Mara River Basin and the establishment of the Mara River Transboundary Water Users’ Forum.
Kenya’s hosting of the 15th edition is expected to renew attention on the protection of the shared ecosystem and reinforce regional efforts towards the sustainable management of the Mara River Basin.
