Despite the Government three month ban on the fishing of small fish, Omena, in the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria, trade on Omena is booming across the Lake Victoria beaches and markets in full day light as authorities watch.
The Government early this month imposed a three month ban on omena fishing but fishermen and traders have continued with their activities unabated.
The prices of the commodity have shot up in Kisumu and the adjacent market with the traders taking advantage of the ban to increase prices.
A junior fishery official said that the fishing on Omena has been made possible by corruption saying fisheries official and police officers have turned a blind eye on the ban leaving the commodity to be ferried as if nothing was amiss.
Some of the traders use motorbikes to transport the commodity past police officers who only concentrate on buses. Kenya national beach management unit chairman Tom Guda urged the Government to scrap the ban saying fishermen tend to over fish during the ban period and capitalize on the ban to hike the prices.He said, the Government must look into ways of curbing transportation of Omena during the ban.
A senior police officer at the Province said, that the transportation of Omena usually occur at night when roadblocks and traffic police officers have left the check points.
In the beaches, drying of Omena is taking place in broad day light despite patrols by the fisheries officials and the beach management units.
A fisherman at Aneko beach in Nyatike district said that the ban is an open avenue for corruption among the fisheries officials. He said, some of the officials demand money from fishermen and traders to allow the fishing to go on.
The three month ban is intended to allow for the breeding of the small fish during the long rain season. Fishermen have called for a total scrap of the ban saying it has failed to realize its mandate since officials who are intended to enforce it are being compromised as fishermen double their fishing efforts of the Omena species during the ban period.
Majority of the fishermen want the government to reconsider its position in the ban saying the ban has in the past opened up fertile grounds for corruption to thrive."Once it comes to effect, cartels emerge that ropes up the police, fisheries officials, traders who includes transporters and ends with the beach management leaders" said Nyang'ori Ohenjo of the indigenous fisher people network.
Nyang'ori who is the executive director for the minority rights group, urged the Government to ensure that the ban is not discriminative to others since traders end up exploiting consumers in the guise of the ban.
He urged the Government to put in place measures to curb fishing of the Omena if it was indeed serious about the ban rather than imposing artificial ban thaty only impact negatively on consumers.
Each year thousands of Omena fishermen are thrown out of employment by the ban while several others sent to prison for fishing during the closed season.
Others have in the past lost millions of shillings after their fishing gears were impounded by the fisheries officials and set a blaze by the courts.
Several others have been forced to move to other fishing grounds especially in the Lake waters of the neighboring countries but only to end up in foreign jails for violating the territorial boundaries.
He urged the Government to put in place measures to curb fishing of the Omena if it was indeed serious about the ban rather than imposing artificial ban thaty only impact negatively on consumers.
Each year thousands of Omena fishermen are thrown out of employment by the ban while several others sent to prison for fishing during the closed season.
Others have in the past lost millions of shillings after their fishing gears were impounded by the fisheries officials and set a blaze by the courts.
Several others have been forced to move to other fishing grounds especially in the Lake waters of the neighboring countries but only to end up in foreign jails for violating the territorial boundaries.
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