The water hyacinth menace has persisted in Homa Bay county’s Lake Victoria beaches despite spirited efforts to overcome the challenge.
The stubborn weed that spreads rapidly has invaded Kisaka, Ndhuru and Sikri beaches in Mbita Sub-County as well as Koginga, Angalo and Kananga beaches in Homa Bay Sub-County.
The parts of the lake invaded by water hyacinth look like expansive tea estates as some varieties of water hyacinth grow tall and appear like bushes.
For the past few years, the water hyacinth that is believed to be carried by waves had exited the beaches of Homa Bay county before coming back this year.
In 2012, Moses Mwai was among 70 fishermen who were trapped in lake Victoria for three days due to the aggressive weed. “Whenever I see water hyacinth, I get traumatised due to the ordeal we went through. Being stuck in the lake for three days was a nightmare,” he said.
The fisherman says they endured being rained on, cold nights and scorching sun for the three days, adding the return of the weed has disrupted their fishing activities. “We can no longer fish normally because it has interfered with the movement of boats in the lake,” he added.
Ochieng, another fisherman, lamented that the water hyacinth destroys their fishing nets, causing them huge losses. “Fishing nets are very expensive but the water hyacinth ends up destroying them,” Ochieng said.
On the other hand, Joshua Okoth, a seasoned fisherman complained that the weed leads to infestation of mosquitoes which cause skin irritation and malaria. “Malaria infection is very high along the shores of lake Victoria during water hyacinth invasion. We have discovered that the water hyacinth is a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes,” Okoth said.
The fishermen urged the government to come up with robust measures to eradicate hyacinth.
A fish merchant, George Oloo said fishermen should not continue suffering because of the weed. “We urge the county government to collaborate with the national government to eradicate this weed from lake Victoria. It is interfering with our economic well-being,” Oloo maintained.
By Davis Langat
