Climate risk communication of navigation safety and climate conditions over Lake Victoria basin: Exploring perceptions and knowledge of indigenous communities

Abstract

Governmental and non-governmental organizations have increasingly developed climate services and products to improve safety on Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest and the world’s second largest freshwater lake. Despite these efforts and other interests in efficient exploitation of natural resources, Lake Victoria is one of the most dangerous waterways in the world. Each year, around 5,000 people lose their lives on the lake due to navigation accidents. The purpose of this study is to analyze the perceptions of the stakeholders about climate change, meteorological services, causes of accidents, and cultural, social, and economic barriers that lead to lack of safety of navigation on Lake Victoria. The study uses anecdotal interviews with a convenience sample of five participants and surveys research with a convenience sample of 316 respondents from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The study makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the multilayered ecological, socioeconomic, environmental, technological, and health-related factors that influence the safety of navigation on the lake by harnessing the indigenous knowledge of the stakeholders about their concerns and experiences. The authors assert and reaffirm the importance of integrating indigenous and scientific climate knowledge, offering strategies to enhance climate services and make technological products culturally relevant.

Keywords

• lake victoria
• indigenous knowledge
• participatory communication
• climate risk
• perceptions