The government has formed a multi-agency team to address massive pollution of Lake Nakuru.
The team will also address fears that fish from the lake are contaminated with poisonous metals and the rising cases of illegal fishing within the water body in a national park.
A study by Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute in 2021 established the presence of arsenic compounds in fish from the lake.
Pollution of the lake is mainly through waste from Nakuru sewer plant, latrines in nearby informal settlements and solid waste from Kioto dump site.
Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs PS Betsy Muthoni said the presence of heavy metals in fish called for immediate action.
In a letter to various government agencies, the PS said that President William Ruto had directed immediate action to address the ongoing pollution of the lake.
“The President has directed that a multi-agency strategy be developed and implemented in protecting the lake and aquatic life,” she said.
The team includes Kenya Fisheries Service, Kemfri, KWS, Nema, Water Resources Authority and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute.
The PS said that the presence of biological, physical and chemical food hazards in the lake was a major cause of concern for food safety and human health.
“Consumption of contaminated fish can be a major food hazard exposure for human beings while illegal fishing poses an economic and environmental threat,” she said.
Muthoni further said the lake had recorded a rise in illegal fishing and KWS officers had moved in to contain the situation.
The Blue Economy ministry said the lake was not gazzeted for commercial fishing activities, which shot up in 2020 after water levels rose sharply.
The Kemfri report noted that water levels rose due to heavy rains from the catchment areas that diluted the saline lake making it more habitable for aquatic life.
The research institute attributed the mass fish deaths in 2020 to contamination of the environment by nitrates that found their way in from the sewer plant near the lake.
“A survey in 2021 on fish consumed from the lake showed the presence of heavy metals like copper, iron, lead and mercury in fish tissue,” the report said.
