Night fishing has been banned in Lake Naivasha after 10 of them drowned since January.
It is banned from 6pm to 6am.
Licensed fishermen have attributed the deaths to strong winds in the lake during the night and the use of unsafe makeshift boats by the illegal fishermen.
The ban was arrived at following a meeting between the Beach Management Units (BMUs) and officers from the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS).
Wesley Kimutai, the chairman of Kamere landing beach, said drownings at night and in the early morning were increasing.
“We met officers from the Kenya Coast Guard Services and agreed no one should be in the lake between 6pm and 6am,” he said.
The situation has been worsened by the numbers of buffaloes and hippos around the riparian land that were attacking residents.
He said it was impossible to rescue victims at night, in contrast with the day when many fishing boats are around.
BMU secretary Grace Nyambura called for the implementation of the fisheries management plan.
Nyambura said that the lake's resources were under threat due to overfishing by tens of unlicensed youths.
She called for the restocking of the lake with fingerlings while praising the the Coast Guard for restoring order in the chaotic fishing sector.
“It’s time the youths who rely on this lake were given an alternative source of living as overreliance on the fisheries has led to the deaths of many youths,” Nyambura said.
Speaking by phone, Naivasha deputy county Mutua Kisilu attributed some of the deaths to suspected turf wars between criminal groups operating in the lake.
“For the last couple of weeks, the Coast Guard Guard has not been patrolling and we believe a fight between various illegal fishing gangs led to the latest death,” he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)
