Kenya’s Deputy President Kithure Kindiki says the government is committed to revitalising Lake Victoria’s blue economy through ambitious infrastructure projects, including the ongoing construction of the Ksh1.3 billion ($10.030 million) Kabonyo-Kanyagwal Aquaculture Centre in Kisumu County.

Speaking during a recent inspection tour of the Kabonyo Kanyagwal project in Kisumu, Prof Kindiki described the project as the cornerstone of Kenya’s blue economy transformation plan and termed it as a “game changer” that will boost fish production, support sustainable fish harvesting and create thousands of jobs in the lake basin region.

The deputy president said the facility, which he said is currently 15 per cent complete, will produce 28 million fingerlings per year. Additionally, it will serve as a specialised training hub for farmers and other stakeholders in the sector, thus driving the broader blue economy agenda.

The fish species bred at the modern facility, he said, will be supplied to farmers and used to restock Lake Victoria, which has seen a significant drop in production.

Once completed, the aquaculture centre, he said, is expected to significantly support thousands of small-scale fish farmers, complementing other government-driven blue economy initiatives aimed at enhancing food security and boosting income for fishing communities around the lake.

 To modernise the fisheries sector, Kindiki also highlighted the ongoing construction of nine new fish landing sites across Migori, Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Busia counties.

The sites, which include three in Siaya, two in Homa Bay, two in Kisumu, one in Busia and one in Migori, will be equipped with cold storage facilities and value addition infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses and improve earnings for fishermen.

Kindiki pointed out that the first phase of the initiative, which included landing sites at Mulukoba in Busia, Luanda K’Otieno in Siaya and Sori Migori, had already been completed and handed over to local communities.

To ensure sustainable harvesting of aquatic resources, Kindiki stated that the government was working closely with Beach Management Units (BMUs) and has already released Ksh124 million ($956,784) to help them in acquiring modern fishing equipment.

The deputy president said additional allocations will be made this year to further equip BMUs with the necessary tools to venture into deep-sea fishing. The projects, he said, were in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), with thousands of job opportunities set to be created.

“These projects will create long term jobs for our people. Already many people are working here as plumbers, artisans, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and several other short time jobs have also been created,” he said.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki addressing members of the community at Kabonyo Kanyagwal during an inspection tour of the facility. An aerial view of the project.

• A Tell Media / KNA report /By Chris Mahandara