Abstract:
Human activities, Industrial, and poor agricultural practices have resulted to the contamination of rivers and lakes
all over the world. Many rivers and streams in Kenya lose water quality after passing through towns and cities
which causes health risks. This study used ten sampling points to determine physicochemical parameters in water
and sediments from river Kibos-Nyamasaria. A pH meter was used to measure water and soil sediment pH, a inolab
conductivity meter was used to measure water and soil sediment conductivity; a muffle furnace was used to measure
the soil's sediment organic carbon and organic matter; a hot air oven was used to measure soil sediment moisture.
Microsoft Excel was used for the data analysis. In the water sample, pH ranged from 6.93±0.06 to 7.90±0.02 while
turbidity ranges from 84.23±0.41 NTU (dry season) to 188.50±1.08 NTU (wet season). During the rainy season,
conductivity ranged from 106.93±0.25 μs/cm to 139.26±0.86 μs/cm, and total dissolved solids (TDS) ranged from
101.23±1.15 mg/L to 120.10±0.45 mg/L while total suspended solids (TSS) ranged from 65.40±0.80 mg/L to
123.73±0.60 mg/L. In soil sediment, pH ranged from 6.20±0.05 to 7.26±0.06, conductivity ranged from 44.43±0.31
to 142.23±0.35 μs/cm, sediment moisture ranged from 13.14±0.03 to 26.34±0.03%, organic matter ranged from
2.95±0.06 to 9.43±0.11%, organic carbon ranged from 1.71±0.04 to 5.47±0.07% respectively in both seasons.
Increase in the concentrations of physicochemical parameters downstream indicates increased pollution to Lake
Victoria. It is necessary to establish measures to reduce pollution and find potential sources of the pollutants.
Keywords: Physicochemical parameters, water, sediment, river Kibos-Nyamasaria, Lake Victoria.
