The Lake Region Economic Bloc wants to end consumption of imported fish in the region.
Leaders in the bloc, which brings together 14 counties in the lake basin, want to invest in fish multiplication centres and value addition chains.
They say this will ensure fish consumed in the region come from local farmers.
“We can no longer accept to eat fish that is coming from more than 10,000 kilometres away,” LREB vice chairman James Ongwae said.
“We are told that we are here, but we are eating fish from China. We have our own farmers from whom we can get the fish because the potential is there.”
The Kisii governor did not however give the exact figures of imported fish consumed in the region.
He said the bloc has identified Kakamega county as the regional hub for the fish value chain after a processing factory was opened on Monday in Lurambi subcounty.
Ongwae said the 14 governors from the region have been identifying cross-cutting opportunities in the bloc and focusing on attaining maximum benefits for the people.
The 14 counties that form the bloc are Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga, Trans Nzoia, Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Nandi, Kericho and Bomet.
He said the bloc has asked governors in counties neighbouring Lake Victoria to establish fish ponds to avoid overreliance on the lake.
During the launch of the Kakamega fish processing factory, Ongwae said all counties in the bloc have agreed to invest more in capacity building for both fisheries officers and farmers.
The Kakamega factory has the capacity to process up to 20 metric tonnes of fish per day, a capacity that can mop up the excess fish in the region, which is currently supplied to Thika in Central.
The Sh120 million factory was started by the national government under the Economic Stimulus Plan between 2009 and 2012.
Ongwae said the counties will also invest in fish feed manufacturing plants to make them affordable and readily accessible by farmers.
Swedish Ambassador Caroline Vicini, who was the chief guest during the opening of the Kakamega factory, said the Swedish Development Corporation was keen to support programmes that empower the poor.
“The European Union is a big market. The EU has very stringent criteria when it comes to rules and regulations for importation of food, and the factory here meets the standards of the EU market,” she said.
Vicini said that fish processing is a sustainable undertaking that will provide enough income in terms of taxes to the government.
The envoy said Kenya was a middle-income economy with a lot of capacity and Sweden is willing to lend a hand to the government in development. She said Kenya has the potential to export fish to the EU market.
Edited by A.N
