One dead, scores injured in fight over fishing zone in Lake Victoria

On Sunday, October 6, 2024, a deadly fight broke out between fishermen at a beach known as Lela on Lake Victoria in Homa Bay County.

The fight resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jacob Odira and left scores of other fishermen injured.

Odira's group was reportedly confronted by another team who accused them of straying into 'foreign' territory.  Witnesses said Odira drowned after slipping and falling off the boat.

Mr Michael Okoth, the coxswain of the boat from which Odira and his team were operating, said their attackers came in two boats.

"They ordered us to fold up our fishing gear and leave the area immediately. But soon they started pelting us with stones and glass bottles," said Mr Okoth.

He described the moment as tense, saying they were defenceless as their attackers outnumbered them. Odira was reportedly hit on the head, causing him to lose his balance.

 "Our pleas to the assailants to spare us seemed to have yielded no fruit. They went ahead and robbed us of the engine of our boat and disappeared with it," he said.

Odira's team was later rescued by other fishermen.

The chairman of the Lela Beach Management Unit, Alfred Onyango, called on the authorities to take legal action against the perpetrators.

 Fighting over fishing zones in Lake Victoria is nothing new. Several regions in Homa Bay County have witnessed bloody clashes that have claimed lives and left several people injured.

 In May this year, two fishermen drowned after rival groups clashed at Uwi beach in Gembe North location in Mbita sub-County. The fishermen from Uwi Beach and their counterparts from Koginga beach had confronted each other when their boats collided and the two men were thrown into the water.

Fights are usually triggered by competition for space in the lake due to dwindling fish populations. It is believed that certain areas are well stocked with fish compared to the rest of the lake, hence the fighting.

The fishermen are said to have established boundaries which they guard fiercely and would not hesitate to attack anyone who encroaches on their territory.

"These conflicts have been exacerbated by the reduced fish catches currently being experienced across Lake Victoria," explained Edward Oremo, chairman of the Homa Bay County Beach Management Unit.

 "As a result, some fishermen have decided to mark territories for fish breeding," he added.

 Mr Oremo noted that the breeding sites are usually adjacent to common fishing grounds.

"And so you are likely to find fishermen from outside the territories straying into the breeding zones and starting the conflicts," Mr Oremo explained.

Another trigger for clashes, according to Mr Oremo, is the use of illegal fishing methods, which he says in some situations has sparked a clash after one group of fishermen tried to stop another team from violating maritime laws.

One of the banned methods is known locally as 'abunglu'. It involves fishermen throwing their nets into the water and forcing the fish to swim towards the net by banging on the surface of the water to scare them.

"The fishermen who practice this unscrupulous method usually destroy any legal net they find in the water," said Mr Oremo.

Although not widely practised on Lake Victoria, piracy was also cited as an emerging source of conflict.

Mr Oremo said this was mostly carried out by bogus vigilante groups pretending to enforce maritime laws on the lake.

"We encourage beach patrols to inform the police. In such a case, anyone who breaks the law will be liable for any legal action," Mr Oremo said.

Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan said the conflict in the lake was a serious problem that security agencies were already working around the clock to eradicate.

He said the rules governing fishing in Lake Victoria are clear, but some fishermen still violate them.

According to the administrator, the demarcation of fishing areas in the lake by fishermen is against the law.

He said no one is allowed to own any part of the lake.

"Anyone who has marked an area in the lake as his own has gone overboard. It is against the fishing regulations. No one is allowed to own any part of the lake," said Mr Lilan.

The county commissioner explained that the establishment of beach management units is only meant to guide fishermen on whether they should dock their boats after a fishing expedition.

He said no beach management unit was expected to go ahead and identify areas where they would fish exclusively.

He announced that the national and county governments have joined forces to identify beach management units that violate the law.

"We have so far identified a few units that have violated fishing laws," Mr Lilan said.

The county commissioner pointed out that with different agencies involved in managing the safety of fishermen in the lake, territorial conflicts will be significantly reduced.

Some of the government agencies responsible for security in the lake include Kenya Coast Guard Services, Kenya Maritime Authority, Kenya Marine and Research Institute, and Kenya Fisheries Service among others.

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