Senate urges state to address security threats on Kenyan waters

The Senate has asked the national government to address security threats on Kenyan waters in order to safeguard fish farming.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Wafula Wakoli said Kenyan fishermen operating on Lake Victoria are always under threat, with their boats and fishing gear confiscated on the pretext of moving to the neighbouring countries waters.

The Bungoma Senator who led members of the committee on a fact-finding mission at the Mulukoba Beach Management Unit in Port Victoria Town, Busia County, said that the threat to local fish farmers has affected business, creating room for cheap imports from China.

“Kenya has got enough fish for local consumption and export. What is only required is empowering the farmers by having favourable operating conditions, that is why we ask the government to address the security threats in our waters, we have no valid reason to have fish imported from China,” said Wakoli.

Mulukoba Beach Management Unit Chairman Joachim Omollo said most farmers are engaged in caged fish farming along Lake Victoria and called for the reduction of fish feed prices and assistance to get insurance cover since they operate in the high waters, which endangers their lives.

Omollo explained that they embraced cage fish farming after the population of fish in the lake dwindled, and called for support to expand their investment.

He appealed to the government to protect them from exploitation by security personnel from neighbouring countries who confiscate their boats and gear.

Omollo urged the government to set up a fish processing factory in the lake region to save them from incurring costs to transport the produce to Thika Town for processing.

“We are calling on the government to support fish farmers to acquire boats since most farmers operating in Lake Victoria cannot afford Sh250,000 needed to acquire one. If they get aid, this will help them improve their trade as we reduce imports from China, which are not necessary,” said Omollo.

Magan Odero, who is an investor in the fish industry, regretted that the national government was not giving the sector the attention it deserves, while counties have failed to construct value addition facilities near farmers.

Odero said that the middlemen were making a killing by taking fish to Thika for processing, and appealed to the government to set up the facility in Nyanza since it produces a huge chunk of fish in the country.

He urged Busia county government to revive some speed boats it owns, which have not been operational for years, to help fish farmers carry out their trade in Lake Victoria.

“You will be surprised that the fish farmers in the region have not gotten sufficient support from the national and county governments. Getting a market is not easy, we do not have a processing factory nearby, yet value addition is very important for our products to increase profits,” said Odero.

Busia County Executive Committee Member in charge of Agriculture George Mkok, said that they are working with cooperative societies to support fish farmers to increase their earnings.