A crocodile perch on a stone hedge around a domestic compound now almost completely inundated in the rising waters of the Lake Bogoria in Marigat sub-county, Baringo county on July 27, 2026. [AFP]
A crocodile basks in the sunshine on the roof of a submerged conference hall at a holiday resort in central Kenya, in a visible sign of how rising lake waters are endangering thousands of families and local businesses.
Lake Baringo and other lakes in Kenya's Rift Valley have risen to levels not seen in at least half a century, with scientists attributing the surge to extreme rainfall linked to climate change.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced to higher ground, according to official data, yet many victims say the lakes keep following them.
In 2011, when the lake recorded its first significant surge, Mary Milka Tiren, 40, lost her husband after a hippo attacked him on his way home from his job at a popular tourist resort, which is now completely submerged.
A decade later, her nine-year-old son spent three months in hospital after a crocodile attack, leaving a scar on his right arm.
"It wanted to rip off his whole arm from the shoulder... but he was rescued by his peers after a long struggle," Tiren said.
"We've seen a rise in crocodile attacks not because there are more crocodiles, but because the lake is now close to the homesteads," Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) senior warden Jackson Komen told AFP.