Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi has accused the Jubilee government and counties bordering Lake Victoria of deliberate failure to address water hyacinth menace.
He said it is unfortunate that the noxious weed has spread to unprecedented proportions yet the governments are not doing enough to salvage the situation.
Wandayi said Lake Victoria region is losing hundreds of millions of shillings in daily earnings as the lake has been rendered inaccessible.
"Those who depend on the lake for transport and trade are suffering yet there is technology that can be applied to tackle the hyacinth problem," he said.
The legislator, in a statement on Thursday, said the current state of affairs is an indictment of the leadership at both national and county levels.
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Wandayi said both levels of government have a responsibility to take care of the lake's waters within their territory.
"The government, for understandable political reasons, has continued to pay lip service with regard to eradication of hyacinth," he said.
He further said Kisumu, Siaya, Busia, Homa Bay and Migori counties equally have no excuse whatsoever for their inaction over the weed.
"It is regrettable that millions of Kenyans in these five counties are the ones bearing the brunt yet there is a government in place," Wandayi said.
The MP urged the state to step up efforts to clear the lake of the weed, adding that it has affected fishing in the wake of sugar and cotton industry collapse.
"This situation spells doom for this and future generations. This must not be allowed to happen," Wandayi said.
He wants the county governments to establish a joint commission to deal with the catastrophe using short and long-term mechanisms.
"Assemblies of the affected counties must now allocate funds in the 2017/18 budgets towards such interventions," Wandayi said.
"The two levels of government must jointly approach selected international partners for long-term assistance," he added.
He cited poor disposal of effluents as well as the unregulated use of chemicals in farms at the catchment areas as some of the aspects that must be corrected.
"Let the electorate in the five counties rise to the occasion and hold the leadership to account for their lack of commitment to eradicating hyacinth," Wandayi said.
He said he will initiate a political forum for the matter to be discussed, further adding that hyacinth be made a key election agenda during the August 8 polls.
Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) had to biologically eradicate the weed, while also advocating for mechanical removal.
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