Gov’t Moves to Curb Illegal Fishing at Lake Nakuru

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has raised alarm over illegal fishing activities at Lake Nakuru, warning that the fish caught there is unfit for human consumption.

Speaking on Tuesday, August 12, Murkomen said the trade is being facilitated by influential individuals who have set up storage and transportation networks to sustain the illicit business.

"Another thing that is of great concern to us is the illegal fishing in Lake Nakuru, which is being supported by 'big men' with refrigerated cold rooms here and lorries that come to carry that fish. 

"It must be noted by the public that this fish is not fit for human consumption, and it is sad that sometimes it's transported all the way to Kisumu and brought back like tilapia from Kisumu," he said.

Murkomen added that the government is taking decisive measures to stamp out the practice through coordinated security operations.

"Our security team, in a multi-agency approach, working together with KWS, must deal a final blow to this illegal fishing. I'm glad that technology is being applied by KWS to make sure that the monetary activities in the lake are dealt with," he added.

Murkomen who was in Nakuru County as part of his Jukwaa la Usalama tours also met with the county security team and assessed the registration and issuance of ID cards, births and death certificates among others.

"As part of our Jukwaa la Usalama tour of Nakuru County, I assessed the registration and issuance of National ID Cards, Births and Deaths Certificates, passports and Refugee ID Cards at the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner's office grounds this afternoon. 

"There are over 100,000 people of majority age in Nakuru County without National ID Cards. In conjunction with the County Government and MPs, we will employ the Live Capture Unit technology that's being piloted across the country to expedite the registration of people in underserved communities," he said in a statement. 

Murkomen also announced plans to operationalize additional registration stations across the county to improve access to civil registration services.

"To improve access to Civil Registration Services, we will operationalize 3 additional registration stations in Subukia, Kuresoi North and Rongai sub-counties within the next 3 months.

"To address the growing number of refugees in Nakuru, we are sensitising communities to report undocumented refugees living among them for documentation. We are also working on regulations to enable refugees to access banking services in the country," he added.