Kenya Coast Guard director general Loonena Naisho said the station is expected to improve security on Lake Victoria through increased patrols and security operations. The station will serve Homa Bay, Siaya and Migori counties on Lake Victoria. The director-general was joined by Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan and County Police Commander Esther Seroney during the official opening of the station this Saturday.
Three new boats were also unveiled. They are the MV Mageta, the MV Migingo and the MV Mkaguzi, which will be used by security officers to patrol the lake. The MV Mageta has been taken to Mageta Island in Siaya, while the other two boats are stationed in Mbita to guard Homa Bay and Migori counties. Naisho said the station will be strategic in tackling criminal activities on the lake. “The establishment of this station will enable our officers to strengthen patrols to stamp out illegal activities on Lake Victoria,” Naisho said. The move also serves to curb the difficulties of Kenyan fishermen in carrying out their work in a border territory with Uganda Tanzania. In fact, there had been reports of harassment of Kenyan fishermen by the two countries’ coastguards, some of whom were said to have done so without any illegal activity causing it.
It was also claimed that they were concentrating on enforcing the rules on the use of fishing nets recommended to protect the ecosystem of Lake Victoria, rules which have apparently been disregarded by some fishermen for some time. This is because it has been noted that the use of some fishing nets would cause damage to the Lake Victoria ecosystem.
