Reuben Olita
9 September 2008
Kampala — SHE has survived for 18 years earning a living from selling omena (silver fish, also known as mukene in Luganda), but for Rozalba Otoo, life is taking a turn for the worst.
Mama Saddam, as she is known, stares at her stall in Malaba wondering where her next meal will come from if the shortage of omena continues.
The scarcity of omena is so acute that the prices have increased by nearly half.
The Kenyan and Ugandan governments this year declared the fishing of omena illegal because it was in danger of extinction owing to overfishing on Lake Victoria.
Officials in Kenya say the ban was effected between March and June before it was lifted, but they denied the shortage of omena.
But what has caused the massive shortage? Mama Saddam said the scarcity of omena was caused by strong winds on L Victoria which have scared fishermen away.
"My husband, John Otoo was swept by raging winds in Lake Victoria in 2003. That's why fishing during the windy season is risky," Mama Saddam said.
She also attributed the scarcity to Ugandan officers who terrorise those caught practising illegal fishing.
Mama Saddam excuses herself to attend to a customer who wanted a gorogoro (1kg tin of fish). Asked how much she was selling a 1kg tin, she said it had shot up to Ksh100 (sh2,000) from Ksh70. " We rely on omena to provide our children with basic necessities. Their shortage has affected most women who might be forced to start doing immoral things," she said.
Mama Saddam has seven children. "Imagine having such a task and your livelihood is becoming a mirage?" she wondered.
Rose Athieno, said the supply of omena had dropped by over half. "We used to receive five sacks per person, now we only get one sack."
Athieno added that they used to buy one sack of omena at sh80,000 but it had increased to sh140,000.
There is also a shortage of other fish species, but not as badly as omena.
Sipriano Barasa, the chief supplier of smoked and fresh tilapia fish to both Ugandan and Kenyan traders, said the scarcity had seen him receive supplies once a week instead of three times.
Kenyan businesswomen were equally affected by the shortage saying they used to rely on Malaba, Uganda for fish. "We are praying that the situation stabilises lest we shall continue to suffer," said one businesswoman in Malaba, Kenya.
Irene Ekakoro, another fish trader, said: "The shortage has triggered the price increase. How are we going to feed our families?"
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
