'Fishermen have died after being trapped in the lake. We are also not getting enough fish like before due to the weed'
Image: MAURICE ALAL
@alalmaurice
Lake Victoria fishermen have found renewed hope after the launch of a new bid to remove hyacinth from the lake.
The United Nations in Kenya has signed a partnership with the Russian government to remove the noxious weed from Lake Victoria.
The removal of hyacinth from the water body will boost fishing and transport activities.
The Russian government has injected Sh700 million into the project, ambassador Dmitry Maksimychev said in Kisumu on Monday.
Magnam Environmental Network chairman Michael Nyaguti welcomed the move, saying it will also conserve the lake.
Nyaguti said the three-year partnership programme dubbed ‘Sustainable Management and Utilisation of Water Hyacinth in Lake Victoria Basin' will provide a great relief fr fishermen.
Many fishermen have on various occasions been trapped in the lake by the weed. some have even died.
Nyaguti called for transparency and accountability in the usage of funds.
“We hope the money will not be used for meetings like we’ve witnessed before with other donor fundings,”Nyaguti said.
Hyacinth can be used to produce manure, biogas, animal feed through value addition and furniture. “Even the casket used to bury Wangari Mathai, our Nobel Prize winner was made of water hyacinth and papyrus reeds,” Nyaguti said.
Usoma beach management unit chairman Zaibu Juma said fishermen should be involved in the hyacinth removal programme. The unit has 150 members.
Juma said hyacinth has caused depletion of fish and said fishing would thrive if the weed was cleared from the waters.
“Fishermen have died after being trapped in the lake. We are also not getting enough fish like before due to the weed,” Juma said.
The partnership between Russia, the United Nations in Kenya and Kisumu county government seeks to clear more than 14,000 hectares of the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria.
A variety of activities around the lake have led to large-scale pollution of the world’s second-largest lake, including the proliferation of the water hyacinth (Eichhorniacrassipes) in the bays, especially within Kenya.
The programme is to be implemented by the Kisumu county government with technical support of the UN Kenya Country Team.
Based on their comparative advantage and core-expertise, Food Agricultural Organisations (FAO) and UNDP will together deliver technical support.
FAO will handle sustainable land management and environmental policy aspects while UNDP will focus on the economic utilisation aspects.
The project will seek to attract private sector interest especially in the converted products from hyacinth, to providing inputs, equipment, finance, and development of markets.
It targets to benefit 4.5 million people sharing the lake in the five riparian counties of Kisumu, Busia, Migori, Homa Bay and Siaya.
It will focus on initiatives that transfer knowledge and skills to the communities living around the lake region with a focus on youth and women.
Russia ambassador to Kenya Dmitry Maksimychev said the initial focus will be on Kisumu county
“This program is part of the Government of Russia’s support for Africa’s Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, Kenya’s Vision 2030, and Big Four Agenda,” Maksimychev said.
United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya Siddharth Chatterjee said they were moving to the next practical steps after the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference held in Kenya in November last year.
“I am delighted that UNDP and FAO will deliver as one UN Kenya’s ground-breaking support to improving livelihoods of millions of Kenyans living in the Lake region,” he said.
Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o hailed the partnership saying it will address the water hyacinth challenges in the Lake Victoria Basin.
He said they will smartly turn the weed into an opportunity for economic growth to improve the well-being of people living in Kisumu and the wider lake region.
Nyong’o commended the Russia government and the UN in Kenya for launching the project in Kisumu saying the project will positively impact on the region’s economic fortunes.
“This programme is a clear illustration that our partners are in lock-step with the Big Four development priorities of the national government,” Nyong’o said.
Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa said the government is committed to supporting the partnership.
edited by peter obuya