Business in Naivasha town on Thursday was temporarily disrupted after a group of youths blocked Kenyatta Road to protest the death of one man and the disappearance of another in Lake Naivasha.
Irate youths from Kihoto estate blamed Kenya Coast Guard Service officers for the death, claiming their boat ran over a group of illegal fishermen near Kihoto beach.
But the security team denied the allegations, saying their patrol boat has not been operational for the last one month after it broke down.
The protesters engaged police in running battles in the area.
Incoming Lakeview MCA Alex Mbugua, who led the youths, termed the death uncalled-for. He said he would raise the matter in the county assembly.
He attributed the challenges facing youths engaged in illegal fishing in the lake to the awarding of fishing licences to influential traders in the town.
“We have come to learn that some undeserving people receive fishing licences from the county and we shall cancel them when the county assembly starts sitting,” Mbugua said.
Resident Bernard Kathambi, who claimed a patrol boat ran over a group of illegal fishermen, killing one man, said 80 new fishing licences issued by the county government never reached the targeted youths. He said this has led to a rise in the number of illegal fishermen.
Resident David Chege said the services of the Coast Guards should be scrapped due to the rising number of deaths in and around the lake.
“We have lost several lives since the patrols by the Coast Guards were introduced. We shall not sit back and watch as more jobless youths are killed,” he said.
But speaking on the phone, Naivasha deputy county Mutua Kisilu denied the allegations by the protesters, saying they suspect turf wars led to the death.
“For the last couple of months, the Coast Guards have not been involved in patrols and we suspect that a fight between various illegal fishing gangs led to this death,” he said.
Edited by A.N
