Nakuru County to set up Lake Naivasha degradation task force

Nakuru County Government will in two weeks set up a task force to help address the degradation of Lake Naivasha following high cases of illegal fishing and encroachments on the riparian land.

Apart from overfishing, the high number of boats in the lake had also been cited as a major threat to the sector and need to be reduced by about 60% to save the lake.

Speaking after visiting Karagita Landing Beach, County Executive officer in charge of Agriculture Dr Immaculate Maina admitted that the lake was under serious threat from various quarters and assured that the governor will in two weeks’ time launch the independent taskforce which will present its findings within a month to help rescue the troubled lake.

“Currently Lake Naivasha has experienced so many challenges including over-fishing and we are considering imposing a fishing ban but we shall allow the task force to present its report first,” she said.

Dr Maina regretted that after the closure of hotels and flower farms in Naivasha, the sacked workers invaded the lake to feed their families resulting to destruction of fish breeding areas, which threatens the future of the sector.

She added that they had engaged the services of the Kenya Coast Guard Services (KCGS) to help deal with the poachers who had invaded the lake in the last two months after both the licensed and illegal fishermen failed to adhere to the set rules.

County CEC for Trade Raymond Komen said that the recently opened Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Mai-Mahiu would change the face of the county, increase revenue and job opportunities where Naivasha is expected to be a hub of business with area residents getting opportunities to work in the transport, clearing and forwarding offices.

He said the county had handed over a petition to the Ministry of Transport seeking to have local traders as the first beneficiaries of the employment opportunities from the Special Economic Zone.