Historic town of Butiama in northern Tanzania will come alive in September as it hosts the 14th Annual Mara Day celebrations – a flagship event of the East African Community’s Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC).

The festivities, set for September 12-15, 2025, will run on the theme of Protect Mara River: Preserve Life – a reminder of the river’s central role in sustaining biodiversity, supporting livelihoods and maintaining ecological balance in wildlife-rich regions of Kenya and Tanzania.

For four days, Butiama a town associated with Tanzania founding President Julius Nyerere, will stage a mix of activities designed to highlight the urgency of conservation in the basin. They include tree planting, exhibitions, sporting events and a scientific conference bringing together regional and international experts.

LVBC Executive Secretary Masinde Bwire said the scientific conference to be held on September 14 at the Mwalimu Nyerere University of Science and Technology (MNUAT) has already attracted more than 60 submissions from researchers in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Norway.

Scholars, government officials, policymakers, academics, and students from the region and around the world, he said, will explore sub-themes on the long-term survival of the Mara ecosystem.

Dr Bwire said more than 100 exhibitors from Kenya and Tanzania are also lined up to showcase innovations and community-driven solutions promoting sustainable environmental practices.

The climax of the celebrations, he said, will be the gathering on September 15 at the Mwenge Grounds in Butiama town, where dignitaries including ministers from Kenya and Tanzania are expected to underscore the shared responsibility of the two countries in protecting the Mara.

Dr Bwire said the 2025 theme ties directly to the Lake Victoria Integrated Water Resources Management Programme (LVB IWRMP) through which the commission is promoting a coordinated approach to managing water, land and related resources.

“Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is seen as vital to safeguarding water flow and ecological health in iconic landscapes such as Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park,” he said.

He warned that without such interventions, the Mara River faced escalating threats from overuse, pollution, and habitat destruction, with devastating consequences for both wildlife and communities that depend on it.

To strengthen this effort, he said, the LVBC was developing the Lake Victoria Basin Water Information System (LVB-WIS), a decision-support tool that will improve access to data and guide investment.

The system will integrate with IWRM models to produce maps, graphs and other analyses showing the impacts of climate change, deforestation and pollution.

Mara Day was established in 2012 following a resolution by the 10th Sectoral Council of Ministers for Lake Victoria Basin in Kigali, Rwanda.

September 15 was deliberately chosen to coincide with the great migration of wildebeest between the Serengeti and Maasai Mara game parks in Tanzania and Kenya respectively.

Since its inception, the annual celebration is held on rotation basis between Kenya and Tanzania, evolving into a symbol of cross-border solidarity in conservation.

Key milestones include the signing of a transboundary water management memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries and the creation of the Mara River Transboundary Water Users’ Forum.

The 2025 edition is being organised by the LVBC with the backing of the European Union and the German government through KfW alongside regional partners in Kenya and Tanzania.

“The Mara River is a shared treasure, essential for the survival of ecosystems and livelihoods across our region. Mara Day is a celebration of our unity and commitment to protecting this vital resource for future generations,” Bwire said.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Chris Mahandara