A water hyacinth harvester at the port of Kisumu. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI
The national government will employ local youth to remove the problematic water hyacinth which has paralysed transport, fishing and tourism on Lake Victoria.
This is according to a high power delegation sent by President Uhuru Kenyatta on a fact finding mission to see how to eradicate the hyacinth among other assignments.
In the delegation was the newly appointed Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju, Sports and Culture Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario, his Information, Communication counterpart Joe Mucheru, Ms Lilian Omollo, the Principal Secretary for Youth and Public Service, and his sports counterpart Joe Okudo. They were on a two day tour of Kisumu, Siaya, and Homa Bay counties.
“The biggest environmental disaster that we have in this country today is water hyacinth. Contrary to some other political pronouncements that have pointed other directions, the biggest one is hyacinth,” said Mr Tuju.
He said President Kenyatta was concerned of the negative reports from the hyacinth infestation and the irony that fishermen in the region are getting out of business due to the fish importation.
“That is an economic tragedy that is based on issues going awfully wrong,” said Mr Tuju.
PS Omollo said they will deploy 200 service men and employ another 500 locals to do manual harvesting of the water hyacinth.
“We are going to Bondo to do a piloting on water hyacinth harvesting.
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