We have had several fishermen incarcerated in Uganda and Tanzania after being accused of crossing into border illegally. But when pushed to prove by how far, and how long they crossed, we always got no response.
This sad scenario made fishing in Lake Victoria to be one extremely dangerous venture. The economic ramification has been huge.
First, due to fear, thousands of fishermen have opted to fish in a small area not very deep in the Lake. This has led to overcrowding and over fishing.
Second, due to fear of being arrested, many experienced fishermen opted for cage fish farming. This has also become an overcrowded venture.
Third, the consumers of fish have been paying a very heavy price for this state of affairs. One by consuming fish from china, fish that has several questions unanswered about the quality and preservation.
Two, by being forced to pay extra due to the scarcity of fish in the market, our prices are nearly double what fish consumers pay in Uganda and Tanzania.
All these are caused by one thing — the inability of Kenyan fishermen using the Water resources of lake Victoria.
We were greatly overjoyed when the PS of Interior Raymond Omollo launched the collaboration between Kenya and Canada. Omollo announced that had enlisted the support of Canada in her quest for technology-driven border surveillance and maritime security.
This was one of the outcomes of high-level consultative meetings between Omollo and senior officials from the High Commission of Canada in Kenya, the Canada Border Services Agency and Canadian Coast Guard.
Such practical steps and alliances with countries like Canada that have extensive experience in maritime technology is what has been lacking in Kenya.
We hope that we shall have proper markings in the lake waters that clearly indicate where our borderline is. I believe this will open up huge areas for our fishermen, and even double the amount of fish caught in Lake Victoria.
Chairman of the Siaya Fishermen Forum