In normalcy, it takes five hours for a rescue boat to arrive at point at an accident scene in the lake. And now a turning point as the government now embarks on establishment of a marine rescue station in the Lake Victoria region to address the emergency issues in the largest fresh water body in East Africa.
The station that is opted to facilitate emergency search and rescue services, transport and trade on the lake by improvement of maritime transport infrastructure, including maritime communications, navigation aids and inland waterways.
Fishermen and other lake users, including traders, have often found themselves between a rock and hard place as they are unable to access assistance on incidences of accidents.
On mission of rescue in the lake on instances of accidents, it normally take up to five hours for rescue boats to arrive at accident scene, an act which happens after live have been long lost.
According to the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) it is estimated that there occurs between 3,000 and 5,000 emergencies that are reported in the lake annually between three East African Countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
To mitigate this fatality, the government through its able ministry of transport, has since began establishing an emergency search and rescue station on Rusinga Island in Homa Bay County.
The marine rescue station is expected to help with addressing of threats in the Lake Victoria Region. Speaking on Tuesday December 15, 2020, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Shipping and Maritime Nancy Karigithu officially received a half- acre piece of land in Mbita from Homabay County Secretary, Isaiah Ogwe, on behalf of the county government, land for the setup of the station. Homabay apart from owing to a large portion of the lake in Kenyan Side it also top the list in fish production in the country. This could just be but a smarter way of improving inland fishing and transport.
