Day: July 9, 2023

The incessant contamination of Lake Victoria due to anthropogenic (human-related) activities is continuously denying the country revenues estimated to be over Sh40 billion annually.

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Fresh Water Research Director, Christopher Aura revealed that the loss is attributed to pollution, high population density, and increased fishing pressure.

Aura reiterated that over 60 per cent of fish production in Kenya and 1 per cent of captured fish globally come from Lake Victoria, with aquaculture and marine posting 14 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

The world’s second-largest freshwater body has the potential for an estimated annual production of 300,000 metric tons.

‘The lake currently produces 115,000 metric tonnes valued at Sh12 billion on a declining trend annually compared to the year 2002, when it produced 200,000 metric tonnes. In terms of individual fish size production, Omena (sardines) is now leading at over 50 per cent, Nile Perch at 22 per cent, and Tilapia at 03 per cent,’ said Aura.

‘But on export value, Nile Perch is 4 per cent and Omena is 3 per cent,’ said Aura who was speaking during a virtual presentation to over 20 journalists drawn from the Media for Environment, Science, Health, and Agriculture (MESHA) Kisumu Chapter at the Dunga Beach boardwalk.

KMFRI’s reconstructed data for April 2022 indicates an increasing trend of fishers’ efforts into the lake, estimated at over 40,000, out of whom over 1,000 are women, 15,000 boats (crafts), over 5,000 cages, and illegal nets from 2014. This, however, has seen a decline in how much each fisherman brings home (Annual Catch Per Unit Effort).

On the fish kill phenomenon, Aura noted that it is due to eutrophication, which is the nutrient enrichment, contamination, or contamination which is coming from outside and inside the lake.

‘Some of the cage farmers are not undertaking the Base Management Practices, like the wrong location of cages, the types of feeds used, feeding fish when they are stressed, overstocking, overcrowding, uncleaning, or unchanging of the nets. The low oxygen levels contribute to fish deaths mostly in cases of high temperatures (upwelling),’ he explained.

Further, he explained that the change in lake water to various colours is due to algae formation which are microscopic plants found in water. ‘When you see green algae, which is called chlorophyta, and red algae, which is rodophyta, it is due to Algal Blooms as a result of increased nutrient enrichment,’ Aura observed.

Aura further said that concentrations of toxins in the fish are below the threshold of lead and mercury, and if they go beyond that threshold, the fish become unsuitable for human consumption. But he assured that fish from Lake Victoria are safe for consumption.

‘Our role is to conduct research, do capacity building, and advise the relevant bodies to take action, but we don’t go to the management aspect for implementation. We provide data and information on the population structure of fish and their maximum sustainable needs. Similarly, we do enforcement on fisheries and feedback,’ Aura clarified.

This further entails the collection of data on oxygen, temperature, chemistry, living and non-living organisms, and monitoring from field surveys and satellites to compare with climate conditions within the lake.

Sustainable lake use resource looks at estimated annual production, e.g., capture, how much the lake can sustain in a utilisable manner (carrying capacity), and develops suitability scenarios on By-Order Aspect (living and non-living organisms within the lake, quality and quantity of natural resources, socio-economic and human-related activities around the lake).

This leads to climate risk factors like high temperatures, precipitation, rainfall, flooding, and prolonged dry seasons, which need best management practices when exerting pressure on the lake.

Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO) Managing Director Tom Odongo informed that its two treatment plants next to the River Kisat and Nyalenda Estate are able to handle both domestic and industrial waste to the required standards.

‘They are not sewer treatment plants but Water Resource Recovery Centres where we recover the wastewater, treat it, make it environmentally friendly, and release it back to the water bodies. On domestic waste, all of them go to the sewer lines and end up for treatment,’ Odongo said.

‘Our treatment plants face challenges from phosphates and nitrates. The soap we use is a major source of phosphorus, and we need to campaign against its use on soaps,’ he clarified.

Odongo further emphasised that most industries around Kisumu City have good pre-treatment waste facilities in line with the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (ENCA).

Kisumu County Fisheries Director Susan Adhiambo decried the increasing number of Beach Management Units (BMUs), wrong placement of the fish cages and insecurity after fish losses due to unemployment.

‘There are 35 BMUs in the county, and we control illegal fishing and nets. We managed to stimulate the fisher folks after incurring massive losses of close to Sh1 billion from their invested cages. In Ogal Beach, we procured 2000 fish and 2000 bags of feed for 91 cages,” Adhiambo pointed out.

She further elaborated that they have helped the fish farmers stay afloat through the Aqua Reach Initiative and by partnering them with a local bank.

Magnum Environmental Network Chairman, Michael Nyaguti called for the constant testing of water coloration along industrial sources. A position affirmed by Kichinjio BMU Vice Chair Salim Abdallah, who called for a speedy solution to the incessant fish kills and low catch in his area.

Based on KMFRI’s calculated maximum lake sustainable needs, it is proposing a reduction in fishermen’s effort by 36-45 per cent, demarcation of fish breeding grounds (lake maternities), and surface area, which are mainly found in the river mouth where the river enters the lake and bays.

They are proposing blue economic use of water hyacinth on biogas and electricity productions and manual removal, and they have introduced spatial planning on cage culture, where they have mapped out cages in suitable areas and over 40 per cent in unsuitable areas, breeding grounds, and water hyacinth.

‘We have divided the lake into offshore and inshore (cage culture). Offshore are cages placed deeper at a depth of 10 to 40 m, made with strong steel, and recommended to house 407 square kilometers (11 per cent) of the lake. The other suitability is 782 which is 21 per cent of the lake can be used for cages with lower dimensions. Inshore suitability are cages with low dimensions 2m by 2m, 3m by 3m recommended carrying capacity area is 291,’ Aura said.

Control of river, sewage, or industrial discharges by ensuring they must not discharge the wastes into the lake untreated by using pre-treatment points or tanks within their locality and checking on the Biological Oxygen Demand.

KMFRI has advised the county government on water supply and sanitation, better habits, and cleaner riparian cities, to reduce lake pollution. In this way, Aura observed, lake sanitation will promote tourism culture and sports, support fisheries tourism, and build on conference tourism.

Lake Victoria Tourism Association Chairman Robinson Ayah insisted on a multi-sectoral approach to promote the lake’s attraction sites, gastronomy (cuisine tourism), and conservation of the aqua system.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Bible Translation and Literacy (BTL) organisation has held the 2nd edition of the Run for the Bibleless in Mombasa.

Run for the Bibleless is an awareness-creation and resource mobilization occasion held annually to generate funds to support Bible Translation, sustainable literacy, and Language Development among the small language groups in Kenya and the East African region.

Bible Translation and Literacy is a Christian-based organization established in 1981 to facilitate Bible translation and sustainable literacy language development programs among small language groups in Kenya and beyond.

BTL’s National Director, Rev. Peter Munguti, said they have held a five kilometer walk and a ten-kilometer run in the coastal city to drum up support for new efforts to translate the Bible into Ribe, Jibana, Rabai, and Kauma languages.

The identified languages form the nine Mijikenda language groups, and their native speakers are mainly found in Kilifi County. Mijikenda includes the Giriama, Digo, Chonyi, Duruma, Jibana, Kambe, Kauma, Rabai, and Ribe sub-tribes.

He said these entire nine subtribes found in the coastal region have their own languages and that BTL will continue translating the Bible for them, one language at a time.

‘We are running to drum support for the efforts to write the Bible into more native tongues and complete more scriptures,’ he said during the interview at the Treasury Square.

Munguti said BTL has already translated the Bible into Duruma, Digo, and Pokomo native languages in a bid to spread the gospel across the coastal region.

He said the effort to translate the Old and New Testaments into native languages is to enable communities to read the scriptures in their own language.

Munguti said BTL is striving to bring the gospel to marginalized communities in their own languages. He said the Old Testament has been translated from Hebrew, which takes about 15 years, while the Greek language for the New Testament takes about seven years.

Munguti added that the translation of the Bible is important in the country since it safeguards native languages and cultures for generations. He said that translating the Bible will not undermine the culture and customs of the communities but will instead preserve them for posterity.

The man of God noted that the organization is also working on efforts to translate the Bible into indigenous languages for communities living in Tanzania and South Sudan.

Munguti said that the translation of the Bible will help the modern church, especially in the local communities, develop programs that are found in the scriptures. At the same time, he condemned false prophets and preachers who deceived the people in the name of God.

He said false spiritual leaders were unfortunately using the Bible to fleece their flock with fake miracles as they are filled with greed and are after money.

Munguti said the majority of such preachers know little about the Bible and are dabbling in religious matters to enrich themselves at the expense of their flock. He said people should learn the Bible from authentic sources and save themselves from the grasp of evil people masquerading as servants of God.

Source: Kenya News Agency

As the global community’s attention is drawn towards food safety and food standards, the Nakuru County Government, in partnership with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), has rolled out a campaign seeking to reduce the risk of pesticides to stakeholders in the food value chain.

The initiative dubbed ‘Ukulima True’ which has also received support from the Centre for Behaviour Change and Communication (CBCC), is further aimed at raising awareness of environmentally friendly bio-control and bio-practice products.

According to Deputy Director, CABI Africa, Dr. Monica Kansiime, excessive use and misuse of pesticides are causing a loss of biodiversity, destroying beneficial insect populations, and reducing food safety.

Kansiime indicated that through the program that will run up to December 2023, smallholder farmers are being trained to adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to ensure healthy crops and lower the risk of contaminating produce with dangerous pathogens or agrochemicals.

The Deputy Director expressed concern that food safety guidelines and regulations put more emphasis on food exportation than domestic food, adding that more emphasis should be put on ensuring that domestic food is also taken care of.

Speaking during an on-farm training session for 30 farmer groups in Subukia Sub-County, the Deputy Director disclosed that initiative was part of a process to streamline Kenya’s food production systems to align them with the sanitary and phytosanitary standards, the guidelines for producing safe food.

‘Farming is a noble profession, and there is a need to educate farmers on food safety, environmental sustainability, and workers well-being in fruits and vegetables farming,’ said Kansiime.

The Deputy Director noted that by following GAPs, from field preparation through harvest, storage, and marketing, the risk of contaminating produce can be greatly reduced.

‘The reality is that every Kenyan is exposed to pesticides which, when sprayed on crops, can end up in the human body through the food, fruits, veggies, and drinks that we consume,’ she said.

‘We are investing in training the avocado, tomato, maize, and bean producers to adopt integrated crop management and integrated pest and disease management practices that advocate for building diverse and resilient systems to drought, pests, and diseases,’ she added.

Kansiime said, ‘The key to a pest- and disease-free farm is farm hygiene, where the farm is kept weed-free and at the right crop density and spacing. With a changing climate, timely planting can help evade adverse weather that predisposes crops to disease attack. It can also help evade periods of high pest and disease attacks on the crops.’

Kenya is a signatory to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Protocol, with the objective of making sure that food is safe and that trade is not hindered.

The Deputy Director said an estimated 40 per cent of crops are lost to pests globally, among which fall army worms in maize and the tomato leaf miner are well known for their devastation.

‘CABI is helping growers adapt to this major challenge through projects like the Bio Protection Portal that apply expertise in digital development and crop health to promote sustainable approaches to pest control and management,’ said Kansiime.

The Bio Protection Portal brings together in one place the various safer and more environmentally friendly bio-control and bio-pesticide products that growers can add to their ‘arsenal’ against crop pests as part of an integrated pest management plan.

‘Ukulima True’ campaign, which is part of the CABI PlantwisePlus programme, promotes soil health improvement to ensure crops are healthy and able to fight off pest and disease attacks.

Other aspects of the initiative include crop diversification, rotation, and intercropping to take advantage of natural repellents and physical barriers for insect control.

‘Reducing pesticide risks will improve the safety of food and protect farmers, community members, animals, and environmental health. PlantwisePlus also works to ensure safer plant protection products, such as biopesticides and biocontrol products, are readily available and affordable for farmers,’ the Deputy Director added.

County Agribusiness Officer Ms. Miriam Kinyanjui indicated that pesticides can persist in the environment for decades, pollute water resources, and pose a threat to the entire ecological system.

Kinyanjui said the County Government was ensuring that spray service providers are trained and registered and that it was educating farmers on sustainable and safe ways to produce food.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that nearly three million people are poisoned and 200,000 die every year. In Kenya, about 350,000 cases of pesticide poisoning are reported annually.

While observing that pesticide overuse was a threat to food safety, the Agribusiness Officer said some of Kenya’s horticultural products destined for export markets have been intercepted based on Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), defined as the maximum concentration of pesticides that are either not permitted in the markets or exceed the set limits.

‘We have begun educating our farmers on how to comply with the rules of the European market. Kenya has had challenges with cut flowers and, more recently, beans and avocados. All agrochemical companies should ensure proper use of their products through adequate labeling using the widely used national language and take responsibility where harm occurs due to lack of sufficient information,’ she added.

Kinyanjui stated that through the initiative, farmers are being educated to adopt food production methods that do not emphasize the use of pesticides and other chemicals.

She underscored the need to step up surveillance and monitoring at ports of entry, including airports and border posts, to ensure that unscrupulous traders do not smuggle deadly substances into the country.

Experts have warned that many farmers in Kenya rely on profit-driven agrovets rather than agricultural extension officers to manage pests and diseases. This has led to the proliferation of crop protection products in the country, particularly those that are banned in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

A study that focused on Kirinyaga and Murang’a counties found that tomatoes are among the basic food products on which pesticides are largely misused.

Kinyanjui underscored the need to strengthen pesticide risk regulation, research, and education to yield possible alternatives and put a stop to the importation of all the pesticides banned in the European Union.

Records from the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) indicate that Kenya has banned 43 products and restricted the importation and use of five others.

The board is now working with an international partner to train Kenyans on what to look out for. This is vital as pesticide use in Africa has increased by nearly 70 per cent between 1999 and 2021.

A 55-year-old avocado farmer, Ms. Rosemary Kamau, said she was now aware of the Bio-pest control method that makes use of pathogens, insect predators or parasitoids, pheromones, and insect traps to keep pest populations low.

‘I now know that the release of predators and parasitoids of pests such as ladybird beetles, spiders, wasps and predatory mites is also helpful. They have taught us that the use of pheromone dispensers to disrupt pest mating and the use of traps like sticky coloured boards, pheromone traps, and light traps to catch insect pests are also useful,’ observed Kamau.

Kamau said a farmer can attract predators by planting pollen- and nectar-producing plants.

Capsicum farmer Mr. Josiah Ngumi said the farmers had been enlightened on companion plants that repel pests naturally when grown next to crops.

‘These plants include garlic, which repels beetles, aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites when grown next to vegetables. Basil repels tomato hornworms, while marigolds planted near squash or cucumbers repel cucumber beetles and nematodes,’ Ngumi said.

He added that he was now aware that various plant extracts and other natural materials can be used to repel pests, reduce their feeding or reproductive activities, and reduce the proliferation of diseases.

Source: Kenya News Agency

BIDCO Africa is currently processing 800 Mtons of palm oil per daily up from the initial 200 Mtons they produced when the company started the initial operations in the country.

According to BIDCO Africa Chairman Vimal Shah, the increase has been due to expansion of markets and demand for products.

Speaking when he hosted the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Bin Haji Yusof at the BIDCO Africa in Thika , the chairman observed that it was symbolic since the company started off with the Malaysian connection some 37 years ago .

‘From 1991 when we set up our first refinery and fractionation plant here in Thika processing Soybean, Sunflower and Corn oil doing 200 Mtons per day but with time realized that the market was getting bigger, expanded by an additional 600 Mtons to hit the 800 Mtons mark in just Palm Oil processing’, he said

Shah stressed on the need for promotion of local value addition and home-grown solutions insisting on adaptation of innovative approaches to empower Kenyan farmers in quality Oil Seed production to a manufacturing process that increases value of all primary agricultural commodities.

BIDCO Chairman Vimal Shah together with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantation and Commodities, Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Bin Haji Yusof during a courtesy call at the Thika BIDCO manufacturing plant.

Hon Fadillah Bin Haji lauded BIDCO for Zero Waste, Responsible Consumption and Production saying , ‘I am very proud of your achievement; from what I have seen you have done wonderfully great things and managed to convert everything from Oil Palm into products without any waste’.

He reiterated that his team had visited the plant not to teach but to learn from the plant.

‘It is all about sharing knowledge and learning from each other; let us collaborate and work together to form a strategic partnership. I believe we have all industry players with us and definitely you can collaborate with them in whatever ways of prosperity not only for the company but most importantly for the country, the people too and contribution to the world in producing affordable and healthy products to all people of the world,’ added Fadillah Bin Haji Yusof.

BIDCO Africa Managing Director Baker Magunda said their farm to fork policy remains part of the cultural values as a Kenyan company that contributes to local manufacturing and sustainable development to enhance healthy living

‘ Our core competence lies in a strong commitment to quality brands . We all know consumers now have a lot of choices so one has to be attentive to efficacy of the brands you are asking consumers to choose’, Magunda added

Gerald Mahinda, a member of BIDCO’s Board of Directors described their Group contribution to East African economy through creation of 4,500 jobs directly in five of our sites , 11,300 jobs indirectly plus 30,000 farmers on board into inclusive agribusiness.

‘ our Contribution to economy last year alone we paid Ksh 4.5 billion shillings in taxes and in the last 5 years we have paid under 25 billion in total taxes ‘, he said

During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by the Malaysian High Commissioner to Kenya his Excellency Ruzaimi Mohamed and the Malaysian Oil Palm Council (MOPC).

BIDCO Africa is one of the market leaders in the edible oils and fats categories in Kenya it manufactures Hygiene and personal care products and most recently set foot in the Food and Beverages product categories producing noodles, juices, water, carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks.

Source: Kenya News Agency