Kisumu — Fishermen in the five counties bordering Lake Victoria now want President William Ruto to rename the Ministry of Agriculture and Blue Economy to include fisheries and aquaculture.
Beach Management Units (BMUs) National Chairperson Gabriel Guda said the fisherfolk community felt unrecognized in the realigned ministerial portfolios which saw the ministry responsible for fisheries renamed.
Guda said the fishing industry plays a very significant role and thus the need for a direct recognition.
"We would be glad to have a distinct fisheries ministry to address the dwindling fishermen plight," he said.
Speaking to the press in Kisumu on Tuesday after a meeting of BMU officials drawn from the counties of Kisumu, Busia, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori, Guda said it was unfortunate that the sector failed to feature in the key ministry of agriculture.
"Failure to recognize the fishing sector will undermine the advances in the industry," he said.
The stakeholders demanded that the President appoints a standalone Principal Secretary in the fisheries department to deal with matters concerning fisheries right from the production to the supplies value chain.
Guda said fisheries is an important sector in the economy and urged the government to advance resources to support its improvement.
"The moment fisheries miss out in the ministry, it is looked into as a sub sector missing out in budgetary allocations," he said.
On the arrest of Kenyan fishermen in the lake, the BMU officials asked the president to use good bilateral relations with Uganda and Tanzania to safeguard the interest of fishermen.
Edward Oremo, another BMU Chairperson, said harassment of Kenyan fishers in the lake had been on the rise even as he lauded efforts to reintroduce borderless communities.
"We want the fishermen who are the real hustlers to fish without any boundaries," he said.
He envisaged a borderless community with a universal license that allows fisherfolk to roam within the East African Community without harassment.
Oremo further appealed to President Ruto to prevail upon Kampala to release of 8 fishermen from Siaya County jailed in Uganda for trespass.
