KISUMU, Kenya, Nov 28 – Mining and blue economy CS Salim Mvurya has disclosed that Kabonyo Kanyagwal fisheries and aquaculture research centre will benefit from a grant worth Sh2.5billion.
The money will be disbursed in two phases, with phase one, already approved by the cabinet to take Sh1 billion this will be followed by a Sh1.5 billion grant totaling to Sh2.5billion.
He disclosed that the research center will produce 7 million fingerlings annually and this will boost food and nutritional security.
At the same time to further cushion farmers from post-harvest losses, the government has embarked on a major construction of fish landing sites across along the lake region to promote value addition.
Already, he disclosed that the government had constructed a Sh124 million Lwanda Kotieno fish land site and a similar project was currently underway in Mulukoba in Busia. They will now proceed to Ogal, Wich Lum and Asat beaches.
The CS announced that the groundbreaking of the fish centre will be done in February next year by President William Ruto.
Mvurya was speaking on Monday in Kisumu during the week-long blue economy conference which has attracted delegates drawn from the entire world.
The CS underscored the importance of the countries around the Indian realm and Lake Victoria basin pulling their synergies together to share their resources and skills of managing the Ocean and the lake in a sustainable manner.
Mvurya said the government is currently in the final process of finalizing a draft policy paper on the blue economy strategic paper that will ensure effective management of the ocean and lake resources in an equitable and sustainable manner.
“The policy paper seeks to address among other things, environmental sustainability, social and economic sustainability programs,” he said.
The CS said once the blue economy strategy is drafted and adopted, issues of pollution of the lake and ocean will be a thing of the past.
The government, he said, would ensure stringent measures and stern action is taken against factories that will be found liable for polluting the lake.
The CS comments come in the wake of an outcry by fishermen in lake Victoria that they were losing massive investment in the fisheries sector due to high deaths of fish in the lake.
In Kisumu county alone, the county deputy governor Mathews Owili disclosed that the fisher folk community have lost up to Sh1 billion due to the reported deaths in the lake.
Owili revealed that Governor Anyang Nyong’o administration has set aside Sh 3 million to cushion farmers from the losses by purchasing fingerlings and feeds to restock the cages.
