The government has deployed Coast guards at Lake Naivasha to contain rising cases of illegal activities around the troubled lake.
The team from Kenya Coast Guards Services (KCGS) will set up a patrol base at the Naivasha Kenya Wildlife Service Institute from where they will operate.
Area Deputy County Commissioner Mutua Kisilu said a team of five armed officers from KCGS and two patrol boats will be deployed to address the persistent illegal activities that pose a great threat to the water resource and ecosystem.
Kisilu said sustained patrols around the lake will deter fishing with outlawed gears and facilitate the nurturing of fish breeding grounds and improve on the population of the now depleted species of fish the in the lake.
The DCC explained that the government aims at controlling human activities in the lake to a manageable level that will ensure the protection of the water body for economic sustainability.
The Deputy County Commissioner was happy that the coast guards will boost and complement the sub-county’s multi-agency security team efforts to provide and enhance safety and other emergency services around the water resource.
He added that the deployment of the coast guards will bring about the much needed normalcy in the lake following increased cases of violent conflicts between the licensed fishermen and fish poachers at the lake landing beaches including Kamere, Kasarani, Karagita and Central beaches.
The guards who will work in collaboration with area security agents, are expected to enhance sanity by enforcing the Nakuru County Fisheries guidelines which provides for licensed boat owners to use nets of four inches and above, fishing prohibition on fish breeding grounds and on the shoreline, in addition to fishing timelines between 6am and 6pm amongst others.
By Erastus Gichohi and Esther Mwangi
