Livelihoods at risk as water hyacinth spreads in Lake Victoria
Nyanza
By
James Omoro
| Sep 02, 2025
The invasive water hyacinth has spread to six beaches of Lake Victoria in Homa Bay County, affecting fishing, a key source of livelihood for thousands of residents in the area.
The affected areas include Kisaka, Ndhuru and Sikri beaches in Mbita Sub-county and alongside Koginga, Angalo and Kananga beaches in Homa Bay Sub-county.
Fishermen in the affected areas, such as Moses Mwai of Koginga Beach, said that water hyacinth has affected their economic activities.
A glimpse of the section of the lake invaded by water hyacinth looks like a farm with green vegetation.
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Mwai was among the 70 fishermen who were trapped in Lake Victoria for three days in 2012 during due to the invasive plant. The government had to release a helicopter from Nairobi to rescue them.
Whenever Mwai sees water hyacinth, he gets frightened due to the predicament he went through.
“When I see water hyacinth in this lake, I get worried because of my experience. Being stuck in Lake Victoria for three days was a very scary moment I will never forget in my life. We were being rained on, hit by cold weather at night and hot sun during the day,” he said.
He lamented that the invasive weed has started interfering with their fishing activities.
“We can no longer fish normally because it has interfered with the movement of boats in the lake,” Mwai said.
Manoa Mwai, another fisherman, said the water hyacinth destroys their fishing nets in the lake, causing them to incur huge losses.
“Fishing nets are very expensive, but the water hyacinth ends up destroying them. This causes serious losses,” Manoa said.
Richard Otieno complained that the weed leads to the infestation of Anopheles mosquitoes, which cause malaria.
“Malaria infection is very high along the shore of Lake Victoria during water hyacinth invasion. We have discovered that the water hyacinth is a fertile habitat for mosquitoes,” Otieno said.
The fishermen want the government to come up with robust measures for eradicating the water hyacinth.
George Oloo said fishermen should not continue suffering because of the weed.
“We call on the county government to collaborate with the national government to eradicate this weed from Lake Victoria. It is interfering with our economic well-being,” Oloo said.
However, some fishermen said the water hyacinth is a breeding ground for mudfish, which they catch and sell to earn a living.
“The water hyacinth is full of the small mudfish which we catch and sell at Sh5 each. This is a very lucrative economic activity,” said Sarah Achieng.
Ruth Onyango said the mudfish had boosted her livelihood.
“The small mudfish are a game changer in my life. When I leave this place, I am sure my children have food, and I also have money in my pocket,” Onyango said.