By Tobias Ogutu
The fishermen around Lake Victoria have a bone to chew with their respective county governments as well as the national government. These fishermen believe they play an important role in the economy of their counties and the country, but have been sidelined when it comes to development. They claim that the authorities do not take their activities as seriously as other sectors, such as crop farming and poultry. The fishermen around Lake Victoria now want their respective county governments to recognize their importance and help improve their working conditions; otherwise, fishing activities around the lake will be negatively affected.
At Usenge Beach, Caleb Odira, a candidate for the Usenge Beach Management Unit (BMU), highlights the lack of storage facilities for the fish caught by local fishermen. “When fishermen make a good catch, they are forced to sell their fish cheaply to avoid significant losses because the fish are highly perishable,” Caleb explains. “If there were storage facilities equipped with cold rooms, fishermen would not need to sell their fish at low prices, as their products would remain fresh while they search for markets, even beyond Usenge,” Caleb added.
Joana Opiyo, a well-known fisherman in Usiri, echoed the sentiments expressed by fishermen from Usenge. However, he went further to express his disappointment as follows: “When devolution began, I was hopeful that our leaders from the Lake Victoria region would focus on developing the lake; however, nothing has been done.” Opiyo explained that Lake Victoria alone has the potential to feed the entire Nyanza region or even all of western Kenya if properly developed. He added that, beyond fishing, sporting activities could be introduced on Lake Victoria to attract tourists and boost the economy of both the counties and the nation.
In Kisumu, Collins Oliech, a fisherman at Dunga Beach, laments and blames the governor for failing to fully exploit Lake Victoria as promised in his manifesto. Collins believes that fishermen at Dunga should not be using traditional fishing gear in this modern era if the government truly cares about them. “The government does not need to buy a modern boat for every fisherman, but at least one for each beach. It will then be up to the fishermen at the beach to organize themselves and use it effectively,” Collins explained. He pointed out that both the national and county governments have been buying motorbikes for riders in their constituencies, but nothing has been done for fishermen. “It seems to the government that fishing is not an economic activity worthy of support,” Collins concluded.
When supporting Collin’s concern, Awiko, another fisherman at Dunga Beach, highlighted that the authorities only take Lake Victoria fishing activities seriously when they impose a fishing ban. During this period, beach officers arrest fishermen found fishing. However, when serious issues affecting fishermen are brought to their attention, the authorities disappear.
Therefore, based on the stories of fishermen from various parts along the shore of Lake Victoria, it is clear that action must be taken to preserve this vital economic activity. The government should equip the beaches with modern storage facilities and provide at least one modern fishing boat per beach to facilitate fishing for the fishermen.
