Abstract:
Abstract The world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve is experiencing an unprecedented expansion in tourist
facilities to accommodate increasing traffic in this water scarce environment. A major direct environmental impact
of this expansion is wastewater released to the fragile environment from these facilities. The objective of this study
is to examine the effects of wastewater management methods on quality of wastewater in 4 purposively selected
high-end tourist facilities located in Sekenani within Masai Mara Game Reserve by assessing seasonal quality of
effluent discharged. Water samples were collected randomly from the effluent of the facility during both wet and dry
seasons and were subjected to analysis for: pH, Temperature, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical
Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Phosphates, Nitrates, Electrical Conductivity (E.C), Dissolved Oxygen (DO),
Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Coliforms. Data were analysed using SPSS software and tested using
analysis of Variance at 0.05 confidence level. Quality of wastewater was generally poor and dissolved oxygen, TSS,
and coliforms showed variation between the wet and dry seasons. Single septic tank and septic tank and soak away
treatment approaches produce water with the lowest quality based on Water Quality Index (WQI). This poses a great
threat to not only the health of the communities relying on the recipient rivers as sources of water but also the Masai
Mara ecosystem. To mitigate against discharge of poor quality wastewater to the environment, we recommend
incorporation of modern innovative environmentally sustainable wastewater management technologies e.g.
constructed wetlands to water treatment systems and robust enforcement of national environmental regulations.
Further studies should include monitoring changes in macroinvertebrate species diversity and abundance along the
recipient streams to provide a more holistic and integrated assessment of the ecological impact of the wastewater on
the receiving lotic environments.
Keywords: Sekenani, Masai Mara Game Reserve, wastewater, wastewater management, physico - chemical
parameters
