The Ministry of Fisheries will construct and stock 240 fish ponds in schools in Kakamega county at Sh25 million to prepare the youth for self employment.

Speaking in Kakamega town yesterday, county fisheries officer, James Mahaja, said the ministry will identify 20 schools in each of the 12 constituencies in the county to benefit from the initiative to be implemented this financial year.

"The initiative is meant to promote aquaculture in early stages in schools so that school leavers can engage in fish farming as they wait to join colleges," Mahaja said.

Mahaja said that the ministry will stock the ponds with fingerlings and provide benefiting schools with feed up to the first harvest. He said that the Sh80 million fish processing plant under construction in Kakamega will be commissioned next month.

Mahaja said that the county produced 160, 000 kilograms of fish worth Sh140 million in the last one year up from Sh100 million the previous year.

He said that ministry officials are currently sanitizing farmers on the need to form co-operative societies in readiness for the opening of the factory and assisting them in the formation of the Saccos.