This article argues that Kenya’s Blue Economy agenda will ring hollow unless the water hyacinth crisis on Lake Victoria is tackled with urgency and accountability.
The weed has become, in the writer’s view, a symbol of official neglect around the lake. Despite repeated spending on control efforts, the infestation continues to spread, while Uganda and Tanzania are cited as having handled the problem more effectively.
Winam Gulf in Kisumu is described as the worst-hit area, with the article warning that the lake’s condition is affecting fishing, access to clean drinking water, and the heritage rights of local communities. It says the national government and counties around the lake must act decisively, or face legal action for neglect, while those accused of diverting funds meant for cleanup should be held to account.
The piece notes that the crisis has persisted even after the enactment of the Fisheries Development and Management Act 2016 and the Marine Fisheries Blue Economy strategy. It also refers to the Fisheries Hydro-acoustics baseline survey of the Territorial Waters of Kenya, carried out in November 2016, as painting a bleak picture of the state of the waters.
Several organisations are said to have supported an integrated resource management approach that could control the weed while also generating energy, restoring soil and water quality, and improving the environment. Instead, the article says, corruption and waste have left the most affected parts of Kisumu “choking to death.”
The timing of the criticism is notable because Kenya was preparing to host a global Blue Economy conference in Nairobi the following week, framed as part of its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. The article also points to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s creation of the Coast Guards and Marine Force as a step toward policing water borders and protecting marine resources.
It concludes that the Green Growth Economy Strategy and the Blue Economy Strategy paper are meant to support the wider circular economy principle under SDG 12, which Kenya has signed up to advance. The article says the strategy’s building blocks include transport and water infrastructure systems, and argues that better investment could raise producer profits, lower consumer costs, improve the environment, and curb carbon development.
