MPs will summon Environment CS Keriako Tobiko to explain the stalled removal of hyacinth from Lake Victoria.
The Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project bought a hyacinth harvester at Sh80 million to clear the weed from the lake in 2015.
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Integration and Northern Corridor Development on Tuesday said they want Tobiko to explain why the machine has stalled at the Kisumu inland port.
Committee chairman Gideon Ochanda said it was unfortunate that a machine lies idle yet the weed continues to choke the lake.
The team toured the port and inspected the machine.
“We have spoken with the management of LVEMP II and they have confirmed that some hooks are still missing from the machine. The machine can’t remove hyacinth without the hooks,” Ochanda said.
The Bondo MP said the committee had reached a conclusion that the ministry has failed in its implementation role in getting rid of hyacinth from lake Victoria.
“We cannot blame the commission because it has already done its part in sourcing for finance. The problem is at the implementation stage which is now under Ministry of Environment,” Ochanda said.
The MP said Sh2.3 million is need to buy the missing hooks. The machine was bought with grants and a loan from the World Bank.
“We wonder why a government can wait for more than three years to fix such a small problem,” Ochanda said. MPs put to task LVEMP II manager Isaac Ngugi over the stalled machine and why the hooks had not been bought.
Last week, a fisherman was marooned by hyacinth for three days. He lost consciousness upon rescue.
“Our fishermen cannot continue suffering due to hyacinth yet there is a machine to clear the weed,” Eve Obara said. The Kasipul Kabondo MP is a member of the committee.
Ngugi said the project stalled because of procurement challenges in buying the hooks. He said there were “unfinished businesses” with the supplier.
The hyacinth harvester can clear 2.8 acres of the weed in just eight hours. Hyacinth has paralysed transport across Lake Victoria and rendered many beaches non-operational.