Women fish traders in Koginga Beach, Homa Bay town, have received a major boost after Odysseus Technology Kenya launched a cold storage initiative aimed at improving fish preservation and reducing post-harvest losses.
Speaking during the launch of the project dubbed Cooling Inn, the Chief Executive Officer Sharon Chan said the organization is committed to supporting local fish producers and empowering women economically through better storage infrastructure.
“We are here to support women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and empower them financially,” Chan said.
In partnership with the Koginga Beach Management Unit (BMU), Odysseus Kenya donated 10 freezers, each with a capacity of 700 litres to be used by women groups engaged in fish trading.
The initiative is currently working with 45 women traders from the Koginga fish market within Homa Bay town.
“We are working with more than 40 women trader groups to support their businesses by providing coolers for fish preservation,” Chan added.
Odysseus Kenya is a Chinese company operating in Kenya, supporting small businesses by providing energy solutions aimed at boosting employment and driving economic growth.
In addition to the physical infrastructure, the organization also introduced a digital platform to help the traders maintain accurate records of their income and operations.
“The website allows them to register and use a digital booking system to record their daily earnings. This makes their operations paperless and efficient,” she explained.
The Project Coordinator Ruth Awuor highlighted that the Cooling Inn initiative is part of broader programmes the organization is implementing across the Lake Region, focusing particularly on empowering women in the fish value chain.
“We have set up three Cooling Inns within the Koginga Beach Management Unit to help reduce spoilage by giving women a place to store fish post-harvest,” Awuor said. “Previously, many women had to sell fish immediately to avoid losses due to lack of cold storage. Now, they can keep it fresh longer and sell it at better prices.”
Homa Bay Town Sub-County Fisheries Officer Zakari Winam welcomed the initiative, noting that the county has long struggled with inadequate fish storage capacity.
He said the addition of new cold storage units would help mitigate post-harvest losses and improve the sustainability of the fish trade.
“The freezers are both solar- and electricity-powered, which makes them climate-smart and reliable even when the power supply is unstable,” Winam said. “We aim to fully transition to solar energy to lower operational costs and increase savings for women.”
By Sitna Omar
