Eleven boats have been seized in a crackdown to eradicate rampant theft of boat engines and fishing gear from beaches in Homa Bay.
Many fishermen lose their fishing gear to people who steal and sometimes destroy them in Lake Victoria.
The thefts have cost some start-up fishermen their livelihoods.
In Homa Bay, which has more than 137 active and operating beaches, the thefts are rampant in islands and other beaches in the Suba region.
Suba region, which consists of Suba North and Suba South constituencies, borders Uganda and Tanzania counties on the lake.
Fisherman Erick Odhiambo from Litare beach said the thieves remove engines from boats and make off with fishing nets.
He called them pirates as sometimes they physically assault fishermen who resist them.
“They steal boats, engines and fishing gear that we depend on for a living. They are impoverishing us,” Odhiambo said.
Fishermen now operate in fear.
Coast Guard, beach management unit officers and security officers have launched an operation to fight the plunder.
The eleven boats were seized in Remba Island in Suba North and Kiwa Island in Suba South.
Suba South BMU chairman William Onditi said the piracy has been going on for some time, rendering some fishermen jobless.
“The crackdown has enabled us to confiscate 11 boats whose owners are from various beaches. Suspects are on the the radar of security officers,” Onditi said.
The owners of the boats are from Litare, Kibwogi, Wakula and Mfang’ano beaches.
“It will be upon the people stealing others' properties to answer questions in court if they are arrested. We want fishermen to operate in a secured environment,” Onditi said.
