The Mara River Basin is important not only to the inhabitants of the basin but also to the whole country as it encompasses the Maasai Mara game reserve which earns revenue to the government through tourism. The geology of the area is mainly composed of tertiary and quaternary volcanic deposits of Cenozoic era with the oldest formations being in the Archeozoic era. The rich volcanic soils with bimodal rainfall favours the production of agricultural crops throughout the year most especially tea and maize. Land use pattern has been changing since the early 70's with increasing population resulting into increased conversion of forest land into agricultural and settlement areas especially in the upstream Mau Escarpment.