Gunshots and screams rent the air as police fired tear gas canisters at gangs around Lake Naivasha that have taken control of parts of the water body.
Business was disrupted as the armed police and fisheries officers engaged the youths in running battles around Kihoto estate.
Security officers seized six boats and several illegal nets used by the youths to fish around the breeding zones.
The flow of traffic along the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu road was halted before police and their prison counterparts contained the situation.
For the last couple of months, gangs around the lake have been stealing from licensed fishermen and fishing on breeding grounds.
Naivasha subcounty commissioner Mutua Kisilu said the crackdown on gangs will persist until they are kicked out of the area.
“We have towed the six boats to the area police station and recovered tonnes of nets despite armed opposition from the criminals involved,” he said.
Kisilu warned the youths that the state would not tolerate criminal acts in and around the lake in the pretext of Covid-19.
Subcounty fisheries officer Nicholas Kigundu said that the gangs posed a major threat to the fisheries.
“We had a successful operation where we managed to nab tens of illegal nets and the boats used by these gangs who have terrorised other fishermen for months,” he said.
Kigundu added that the operation would be extended to other areas to protect the fisheries sector from collapse.
Lucas Atieno from Central landing beach said thefts targeting nets and fish catch were rampant.
“Licensed fishermen are incurring huge losses due to the theft of their nets and we are calling on the Department of Fisheries to address this through night patrols,” he said.
(edited by o. owino)
