Lake Victoria islands gets a new sub-county

Access to government services has been made easier on remote Lake Victoria islands after the government inaugurated a new sub-county.

Called Suba Central, it was created in March and was carved from Mbita sub-county.

It was inaugurated during Mashujaa Day celebrations on Thursday at an event presided over by County Commissioner Moses Lilan and Governor Gladys Wanga.

Suba Central is the ninth sub-county in Homa Bay County after Rachuonyo North, Rangwe, Rachuonyo South, Suba, Rachuonyo East, Homa Bay, Mbita and Ndhiwa.

It covers Mfangano, Remba, Takawiri and Ringiti islands, with the headquarters at Sena trading centre on Mfangano Island.

Most of the islands – inhabited by the Suba community, who are considered marginalised – were sidelined for a long time in resource allocation because of their location away from the mainland.

Residents also struggled to access government services like registering births and deaths, filing court cases and registering land.

They had to travel to the mainland in Mbita town, a journey that takes two hours on boats or a ferry, which is expensive to most people.

Over the years, the community, through the Mfangano Development Forum, which brings together professionals from the islands, sent multiple petitions to the government asking officials to make their lives easier and simpler.

The government heard their cries and created a new administrative unit to serve the islands.

Mr Lilan said new locations and sub-locations were also created on the islands to make access to government services easier.

"We will soon post government officers for all departments. Residents should therefore take advantage of this to invest in houses and other businesses to benefit from them," Mr Lilan said.

He unveiled Mr Abdulrahman Hassan as the first deputy county commissioner for the new administrative unit.

Contraband

Mr Lilan said that with the new sub-county, the campaign against contraband on the lake will be intensified.

Some goods are smuggled into Kenya from Uganda and Tanzania.

The proximity of the islands to the international borders will make it easier for security officers under the new administrative unit to intercept the goods before they get to the market.

"Criminals who have used islands in the lake should know that it will not be business as usual. The war against contraband goods has been moved to the next level," Mr Lilan said.

More government officials are expected to be posted to the islands.

The Ministry of Education deployed a sub-county education director to the islands to address challenges faced by teachers.

Mr Lilan said heads of different security departments at the sub-county level will also be deployed.

Ms Wanga said the new sub-county will bring national government services closer to the people.

"Residents of the islands will be relieved from covering long distances through Lake Victoria to seek national government services in Mbita town," she said.

She promised that her government will protect the interests of the communities on the islands.

"I will include community members from Suba in my government through appointments. My government is also putting in place various measures to improve the health sector on the islands," the governor said.

Mfangano Development Forum chairman Daniel Rakoro said families on the islands need more from the government, including clean water and better roads.

"We have been longing for a public ferry to operate between the island and the mainland. A budget was [set aside] but the vessel is yet to be procured by the national government," he said.

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