This archive report was first published on 10 May 2021.
On May 3, 2021, fishermen and traders from Kamere landing beach in Lake Naivasha took to the streets to protest the theft of their nets and fish by illegal gangs.
However, their plight is about to change with the arrival of the Kenya Coast Guard Service in the troubled water body.
According to Naivasha sub-county commissioner Mutua Kisilu, the first team with a patrol boat had already set base at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) offices in Karagita ahead of the patrols.
“For long we have pushed to have the guards at the lake to address the issue of illegal fishing and we are glad that they are finally here,” Commissioner Kisilu said.
The commissioner admitted that the fisheries office was overstretched by the current crisis, terming the arrival of the guards as timely.
“The number of the illegal fishermen in the lake has continued to rise and the arrival of the Coast guards will help stem this,” he added.
Sub-county fisheries officer Nicholas Kagundu said a meeting between the department and the guards had been organized to plan for the patrols in a bid to save the troubled water body.
“The first team from the Kenya Coast Guards Service has arrived and we are looking forward to working with them to address the current crisis facing the lake,” Kagundu said.
