Counties in Nyanza urged to allocate funds for manual removal of the weed.

This is Lwang'ni Beach in Kisumu where the dreaded water hyacinth has invaded the Lake Victoria with vengeance once again.County Governments within Nyanza have been urged to allocate funds for the removal of the weed manually-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

By Dickson Odhiambo

December 3, 2018.

Counties in Nyanza urged to allocate funds for manual removal of the weed.

The four County Governments within Luo Nyanza have been urged to allocate funds towards the manual removal of the dreaded water hyacinth which is currently choking the Lake Victoria badly especially within the Winam Gulf.

A lobby group known as Agulu Environment has said it is prudent if the four counties in Luo Nyanza namely Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori set aside some funds and put a budget for the removal of the water hyacinth manually.

Addressing the press in Kisumu, Agulu Environment Chief Executive Officer Bernard Odinga said it has been proved that manually removal of the water hyacinth can be successful.

He says in the year 2011-2012, the manually removal of the water hyacinth was done successfully within the Winam Gulf and his organization was one of the groups which did a successful job of the manual removal of the dreaded weed.

“We did a successful job in the manual removal of the water hyacinth and we can still do the same good job we did between 2011 and 2012.We therefore request our four county Governments to allocate funds for the removal of the water within their counties where Lake Victoria is,” he says.

He says the County Government of Kisumu under Prof. Anyang Nyongo should lead the pack in allocating the funds for the removal of the weed which has come back with a lot of vengeance and is really choking the Lake Victoria within the Winam Gulf currently.

He adds the rest of the Governors Cornel Rasanga of Siaya, Cyprian Awiti of Homa Bay and his Migori Counterpart Okoth Obado should follow suit in allocating funds towards this.

Odinga is of the view that with an allocation of about between 20 to 30 million per county, this can greatly help in the removal of the dreaded weed.

Odinga also calls for a multi-sectorial approach towards the removal of the weed within the Winam Gulf, adding that this is the best approach which can be applied in the removal of the weed.

He at the same time urged the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to immediately commenced investigation into the purchase of a water hyacinth harvesting machine which has been left idling within the Lake Victoria at Kisumu Pier for close to three years.

“There is a serious need by the EACC to immediately commence investigations into under what circumstance did a water hyacinth harvesting machine was procured and three years down the line it has not removed even an inch of the water hyacinth,” he adds.

Odinga’s sentiments comes barely a month after a Parliamentary Select Committee on Regional Integration and Northern Corridor visited the Lake side city of Kisumu and held talks with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission {LVBC} together with the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project II {LVEMP II} to see the progress made so far in their programs aims at promoting regional integration within the East African Community.

During the visit last Month, the Committee led by its chairman who is also Member of Parliament of Bondo Constituency Gideon Ochanda stated that it will summon the Cabinet Secretary In charge of Environment Keriako Tobiko and his Principal Secretary to come and shade more light on the procurement and purchase of the water hyacinth harvesting machine nearly three years ago at an estimated cost of 70 Million.

The dreaded Water hyacinth invaded the Lake Victoria region on the Kenyan side around the year 1991 where the local communities came up with different names to refer to it that include Ford because its arrival coincided with the formation of one of the Kenya’s biggest political party under multiparty known as Forum for the Restoration of Democracy {FORD} closely associated by the late Doyen of Kenya’s opposition Politics the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. 

Since then, scientists and researchers have come up with various interventions in the removal of the dreaded weed that include introduction of weevils to help in the removal of the weed but it was not successful. Others included Biological and mechanical removal of the weed.

ENDS: