Youth rough up lobby group CEO, block removal of hyacinth.

By DICKSON ODHIAMBO.

March 27, 2017.

Youth rough up  lobby group CEO, block  removal of  hyacinth.

EFFORTS by a lobby group within Kisumu County to manually remove the dreaded water hyacinth were thwarted today after about a hundred youth literally blocked the process at the infamous Lwang’ni beach in Kisumu.

The youth protested the move by a Community Based Organization known as Agulu Environmental Organization to start removing the weed claiming that the CBO misused them some four years ago to remove the weed but did not pay them for the work done

Speaking to the press at Lwang’ni beach, the angry youth accused the Chief Executive Officer of the CBO Bernard Odinga of misusing them round the year 2012 and 2013 to remove the weed manually but did not pay them even a single cent for the work done.

They claimed that they register with the organization and parted with sh 500n as registration fees before they embarked on manual removal of the dreaded weed.

“This man came here and told us to register with him where we paid shs 500 each after which we remove the water hyacinth manually but unfortunately he did not pay us for the work we did,” they said.

The youth together with a number of young women accosted Mr. Odinga who was together with a group of people who he was leading for the fresh removal of the water hyacinth which came back with a vengeance to the Lake Victoria several months ago.

The Agulu CEO was heading to Kichinjio beach when the youth accosted him and his team.

They frog matched him for a few meters from the said Kichinjio Beach to Lwang’ni beach where they eventually forced him into the middle of the lake where the water hyacinth is heavily infested while telling not to come out until  he paid them their dues.

After nearly 30 minutes inside the Lake, a section of youth who sympathized with the victim helped him to get out water and this time they forced him to seat at the Lake side.

However they continued harassing him until a rescue team led by Administration Police Inspector Augustine Kamaria rescued the victim.

The Police whisked him away under tight security while the youths tried to follow the police vehicle which sped off on a high speed.

Odinga who addressed the press at the scene pleaded with the youth to be patient while promising to tackle the matter in an amicable way.

ENDS: