Fishermen operating from Wadiang'a Beach in Suba North Constituency, Homa Bay County, had an unexpected and potentially dangerous encounter during a night fishing expedition after their nanga became entangled with what appear to be military explosive devices lying beneath the waters of Lake Victoria.
According to the boat owner who shared the incident, the fishermen were out fishing overnight when their equipment caught the objects. Instead of abandoning the catch or attempting to dispose of the items, the fishermen brought them safely to shore and handed them over to their beach leader.
Images from the scene show several objects resembling military ammunition or explosive ordnance, together with what appears to be a storage case. Their exact identity, condition and origin have not yet been independently established.
The discovery has raised serious safety concerns among the fishing community, particularly because the objects were found in an area where fishermen routinely operate at night.
Is Lake Victoria becoming a dumping ground? ¶
How did potentially dangerous military equipment end up on the floor of Lake Victoria?
At this stage, there is no evidence establishing that the items were deliberately dumped in the lake, and it would be premature to link them to any particular person, organisation or military operation.
However, the possibility of old military equipment, abandoned ammunition or other hazardous material lying underwater cannot simply be ignored.
There is also a documented history of similar discoveries in Lake Victoria.
In March 2026, fishermen at Litare Beach near Mbita reportedly came across a box containing live explosives and ammunition after initially thinking they had caught a large fish. The following day, another group of fishermen recovered 14 live bombs at Koguna Beach. Police described the recovered items as propellant type explosives and ammunition and took them to Mbita Sub County Police Headquarters pending disposal by bomb disposal specialists.
Authorities also said similar explosive discoveries had occurred in the lake in previous years, including recoveries reported in 2019 and 2021. The latest discovery at Wadiang'a therefore comes against a worrying background.
Lake Victoria already facing contamination concerns ¶
The question of what is lying beneath Lake Victoria also comes as scientists continue to document different forms of contamination in the lake and its surrounding waterways.
A recent study examining Lake Victoria sediments across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania detected pesticides, antimicrobial agents and alkylphenols, with researchers linking contamination to agricultural activity, urban wastewater and riverine inputs. Several compounds were identified as posing potential ecological risks to aquatic organisms.
Another review covering research conducted between 2000 and 2025 found evidence of concerns involving heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and other emerging contaminants in Lake Victoria's fish and surrounding ecosystem.
But they reinforce the need for authorities to understand what is entering the lake, what is accumulating on its floor and whether hazardous materials are being discarded or abandoned in fishing areas.