Save us from foreigners, Turkana fishermen plead

More than 4000 Turkana fishermen have laid bare the frustrations they are facing in the hands of foreigners who they accuse of exploiting them of the resources from Lake Turkana.

The fishermen from Kalokol told the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Committee chaired by Kirinyaga legislator James Murango how liberalized market has affected their fish trade and left them in the hand of foreign traders exploiting their sweat at will.

Through their representative Sammy Emuria, the fishermen narrated how a fish storage and processing plant funded by the Norway government has remained without use since 1991 following a disagreement between Norway and the Kenyan government.

In addition, the fishermen said that poor fishing gears, lack of fibre boats and storage facilities still hamper adequate fishing in the North Lake.

“When the government liberalized the market, it brought to us a free market which is now hurting us. Ugandans and Congolese came and started buying fish at cheaper and lower prices that is no longer helping us as fishermen and as a community,” said Emuria.

Emuria told the committee that the traders especially the Congolese are fishing undersized fish against the law, a move he said will decrease the number of the precious commodity if not well addressed.
According to Emuria, poverty, lack of adequate fishing gears and boats are the biggest impediments to commercial fishing.

Emuria further stated that lack of adequate and steady power supply is also making majority of the fishermen to go at a loss since they do not have cool rooms to store the fish that has not been sold.
Instead, the fishermen want the National Government to revive the fishing industry across the country not just in Turkana if the residents of Turkana county should benefit from the natural resource.

“When the late President Mwai Kibaki came to power, he revived some key industries like the Kenya Cooperative Creamaries and the Kenya Meat Commission and now they are doing well. What is so hard that the fishing industry in Turkana and any other place cannot be done? Posed Emuria.

Thomas Emoja, 46, has who has been fishing in Lake Turkana for the last 25 years narrated how lack of fishing gears is hampering fishing, adding that very little help has come from the County Government.
According to Emoja, wooden boats have a short life span, noting that the smaller fishing nets being supplied by the County Government is enhancing fishing of undersized fish.

“I have been here for the last 25 years. As fishermen we have received very little assistance from the County government. If only the County government could assist us get fibre boats and bigger fishing nets, we can be food self-reliant in this County,” said Emoja.

Emoja, a father of nine says that even though they work hard, their sweet is not reciprocated as the traders especially from Congo exploit them by paying only a paltry Sh250 per kilogramme of fish.
Currently a kilogram of fish in Nairobi is about Sh800 and in some retail supermarkets is Sh900 per a kilogramme.

“If the factory is revived and is working at its optimal, we will see massive development in Kalokol. What we are asking for is that both the National and County Government should work together and pump in resources and revive the fish processing plant in Kalokol,” said Emoja.

Senator Murango assured the residents that the committee and the Senate will help push for more resource allocation to enable the revival of the factory and the acquisition of the modern fishing gears and boats to support the fishermen maximize their potential.