Push to reduce lake accidents intensifies as government introduces fibreglass boats

Governor Nyong’o revealed Kisumu will start production of fibreglass boats which are better than softwood that rot with time. November 30, 2022. [File, Standard]

The push to reduce lake accidents has gained momentum as both the county and national governments embark on an ambitious project to increase efforts to save fishermen and passengers from marine accidents.

In a bid to improve safety, the Kisumu county and national governments approached the Kenya Shipyard Limited for a partnership to produce fibre glass boats.

Fibre glass boats are made from a strong, durable material called fiber glass, which is a composite of glass fibres, embedded in a resin, often polyester.

The County Government has commissioned the manufacture of six modern fiberglass boats.

Five of these boats will be allocated to fisherfolk across five sub-counties, including Kisumu Central, Seme, Kisumu West, Nyakach, and Kadibo, while the sixth will be designated for the Directorate of Fisheries to enhance monitoring and surveillance efforts on the lake.  

According to Governor Anyang Nongo’s administration, each of these state-of-the-art boats is fitted with 15 to 25 horsepower engines and comes fully equipped with cooler boxes capable of storing up to 500kg of fish, life jackets, flares, and other essential safety gear to ensure safety on the water.  

“This initiative aims to encourage fishermen and lake transport operators to transition from traditional wooden boats to modern fiberglass vessels, which are safer and more durable. Ultimately, our goal is to phase out wooden boats, whose risks have led to numerous tragedies on the lake,” said Nyongo.

He spoke during a meeting with Major General Said M. Farah, Managing Director of Kenya Shipyards Limited, who was on a mission to inspect the ongoing construction of these fiberglass boats at the Kisumu facility.  

According to the county government, one of the biggest challenges in lake transportation is the accidents that are caused by weather.

President William Ruto, while addressing fishermen and stakeholders at the blue economy summit in Homabay county last week, said Kenya Shipyard, in collaboration with the  Ministry of Blue Economy, has already constructed the first four fibre glass boats to be used as models.

President Ruto noted that because of rampant accidents on the lake, his government was pushing to replace the old wooden boats with fibre-glass ones.

President Ruto noted that almost 5,000 fishermen are reported to have died in Lake accidents annually.

"We have already distributed 120 fish boats in Mombasa and its environs. We are now working on a fishing boat suited for Lake Victoria with KSL. I am aware that many of the fish boats we have now are wooden ones. We lose a lot of people every year in the lake trying to earn a living. We want to ensure that we replace the dangerous wooden boats with modern ones," Ruto said.

Experts have also cited the lake structure and the fact that the lake has never been mapped to have contributing to accidents.

“The first mapping was done in 1908, and the maps were updated in 1950. Our navigation maps are still very old. Then most of the vessels plying the lake are not seaworthy. This ties to the issue of the boats which are used for fishing and transportation. They are not structurally resilient to withstand the weather and waves,” argues Maritime expert and blue economy advisor to Governor Nyong’o, Dr Ali Matano.

Dr Matano notes that the weather in Lake Victoria is very erratic, especially in the deep water, because the region is in the tropical zone, and so when the weather is very bad, there are lots of accidents.

He notes that another cause of lake accidents has been noncompliance with safety and regulatory measures put in place.

According to Matano, in terms of lake transportation in Kenya, Kisumu is the hub because of what it has in the maritime transport, which includes the port, international airport, and a very good rail network.

He notes that Kisumu has a huge potential for benefiting from maritime transport, but yet been exploited.

Dr Matano says fiber boats will address the issue of accidents because, structurally, they will be versatile and more resilient.

He says that fibre boats have longevity because of the material they are made of.

He notes that they are also designed according to the maritime regulations, unlike the vessels currently being used.

“We went and launched fibre boats earlier this year and you could see the structure is made to the standards. They are also environmentally friendly. The boats we are currently using in the lake are made of wood and the trees used are many, causing deforestation, which affects climate change,” he explains.

He adds: “The advantage is once we have them here in Kisumu, we can motivate other regions who will also upscale. Then we can say by the introduction of these boats, we have been able to reduce the deaths by 20 to 30 per cent.”

Dr Matano says accidents in the lake are significant because it is one of the major interconnectivity routes in Kenya.

“From Kisumu, you can connect to Tanzania through the Port of Mwanza, both north and south. You can connect to Uganda and connect to Rwanda, and Burundi through Bukoba. The more connectivity we have in the lake, the more robust trade we will have. We are lucky that the communication networks within the lake are very good as well,” he says.

He notes that globally, maritime transport accounts for 80 per cent of the goods that move worldwide.

According to Dr Matano, among other initiatives put in place by the region to reduce the accidents also include policy and regulation measures that include a legal framework that awaits implementation from the three countries sharing Lake Victoria.

He says that in 2007, East African countries actually enacted the Lake Victoria Transport Act, which was very comprehensive on how transport on the lake should be addressed.

“This act is legislative, but it has to be supported with regulations. They came with two regulations, which included the fees and standards of ships. There are also two regulations to this effect adopted by East African countries, signed in 2010 and adopted in 2011,” he says.

According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the county government and KSL, the collaboration will centre on key areas including maritime vessel construction, infrastructure development, maintenance, capacity building, technology transfer, and improved safety and navigation on Lake Victoria.  

Additionally, the agreement encompasses resource mobilization and the development of luxury amenities along Lake Victoria's shores, positioning Kisumu as a premier maritime hub.  

According to the MOU, investing in critical infrastructure will stimulate economic growth, create opportunities, and uplift livelihoods across Kisumu County.