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"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 47 (l) to make a Statement on illegal concessions of Lake Victoria to foreign investors for commercial cage aquaculture. As I speak, fishermen in Suba have been holding peaceful demonstrations for the last two weeks to protest against what they call an illegal grabbing of the lake by a foreign investor who has been granted a 315 acre concession, covering both the lake and dry land. Further, the fishermen of Suba are demanding access to their traditional fishing grounds, preservation of fish breeding grounds, as well as reopening of traditional transport routes that have been blocked by this investor. Just last week, on Thursday, 30 May 2019, one fisherman lost his life in the course of peaceful protests against this alleged grabbing of the lake. Mr. Speaker, Sir, l pray that you join me in sending my condolences to the family of Clinton Ouma who lost his life last Thursday, when policemen lobbed a teargas canister at his boat and he had to dive in the water to save himself. Unfortunately, he lost his life. Mr. Speaker, Sir, allow me to give a very brief background to this problem. In 2016, Parliament passed the Fisheries Management and Development Bill, which was thereafter enacted by the President. Among other objectives, the Act sought to protect, manage, use and develop aquatic resources in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner. In addition, the Act made provisions for establishment and regulation of commercial aquaculture in the country and gave the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture the power to develop regulations for the sector. Three years down the line, none of the objectives of the Act appear to have been achieved. The Cabinet Secretary is yet to bring to Parliament any regulation for this sector. Agencies mandated to implement the Act, like the Kenya Fisheries Service and the Kenya Fish Marketing Authority, are yet to be operationalized. These two agencies are currently operating with acting directors and officers. As a result, the aquaculture sector continues to operate in a “Wild West” kind of chaos. As a region that has previously borne the brunt of political and economic marginalization, the fisher folk of Lake Victoria would naturally assume that this delay and lethargy in implementation of the Fisheries Management Act would be a well calculated strategy of continued economic sabotage. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me go back to the problem in Suba. In Kaksingri West Ward, Suba North Constituency, Homa Bay County, one foreign investor has been allocated approximately 216 acres of lake water, in addition to 99 acres of dry land, bringing it to a total of 315 acres. Whereas this investment has provided employment and increased the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}