The area surrounding the lake offers a mild climate and natural beauty that has attracted tourists. Tourism provides some income for the area, (nationally, the service sector provides 63% of GDP).

Lake Naivasha also supports a productive fishery that provides jobs and income as well as being an important source of protein for local communities.

Increasing human population is also causing a strain on agricultural production and urban sewage systems of inadequate capacity. An increase in food demand has lead to more intensive farming practices that require more water and often use pesticides and other soil contaminants that eventually drain into the lake. Increased population has also increased soil erosion that leads to siltation and nutrient enrichment of the lake. Nutrient enrichment of the lake threatens ecosystem structure and function mainly by increasing vegetative growth that leads to degraded water transparency and decreased dissolved oxygen levels.

Prior to the late 1970s overfishing was a huge threat to lake fisheries, however considerable pressure has been alleviated as a result of net mesh-size regulations, particularly for the Bass fishery. (LNRA Lake Naivasha Management Plan 1999)

Strangely, the commercial fishery is dependant upon exotic species as there are no native fish species, however overfishing of introduced species are causing an economic threat.