Kampala — It took British explorer John Speke in 1858, to bring to the world's attention the existence of a massive lake in the heart of Africa but residents had long depended on Lake Nalubaale for food, water and transport.

Several hundred years later, and since renamed Victoria after the British monarch, the lake remains the heart of the Great Lakes region and a direct source of livelihood for an estimated 30 million people.

Lake Victoria is the world's second-largest fresh water body in the world after Lake Superior in Canada and the US.

The 68,800-square-kilometre lake is shared among Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania which has the largest portion. As the people and societies around it have changed over the years, so has the lake.

The introduction of Nile Perch fish species in the early 1950s may have turned the lake into a highly productive resource but it has had an effect on the diversity of fish species.

Species such as Tilapia and Ngege were eventually threatened by the sudden explosion of the carnivorous Nile Perch but with the ready export market for Nile Perch, the hunter has become the hunted, and conservationists are now warning of the risk of overfishing.

The lake employs hundreds of people as fishermen and traders-and yes is a great leisure spot for fun-loving Ugandans who throng to its beaches whenever the pocket relaxes.

Lake Victoria is the second alternative trade route to the sea for landlocked Uganda. Early this year, we turned to the lake for transportation of fuel and other imports via Dar es Salaam after the shorter and cheaper route from Mombasa through Malaba and Busia was cut off at the height of post-election violence in Kenya.

Rwanda and Burundi also claim to be part of the Lake Victoria network through River Kagera that feeds the lake.

It is also the source of the River Nile, another lifeline for millions in Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. It is perhaps the basic binding physical feature that defines this region since it shared among three countries.

As such, while the lake's heart is between the three countries, its soul flows through the continent and is a point of cooperation or conflict, if mismanaged.

So crucial is the lake that it directly impacts on the economy of Uganda and the River Nile states.

When water levels fall, the impact is felt in power reduction, job losses, food scarcity throughout Sudan and Egypt.

Despite its challenges, Lake Victoria remains a true wonder and a fountain of life for Ugandans and other Africans.