Lamu fishermen are experiencing a serious shortage of fish in the ocean following the effects of the dredging exercise being done at the Multi-billion Lapsset project. The fishermen claim that fish stocks have reduced drastically in the last few months and fear the situation will worsen due to the ongoing project. They say the dredging exercise has had a negative impact on the ocean as fish food have been destroyed and breeding grounds scattered.
Ali Hassan a fisherman who has been in the industry for 15 years said the ocean used to have plenty of fish and fishermen used to fish along the area in which the lapsset project is being constructed. Speaking in Lamu while sailing in the ocean, Hassan said the fishing ground has greatly been affected by the Lapsset project.
”There is no fish food, fish have no food to eat, the fish have no place to live, their breeding grounds were destroyed,” he said. Previously he said fishermen could get up to 200 to 300 kilograms of fish but currently, one who is lucky may go home with only 10 kilograms of fish which is hard to make ends meet with children expecting to get school fees and other basic requirements for the family.
He said as fishermen they spend a lot of money to make fishing boats and normally expect a return of their investments but due to the loss of fish, many fishermen have removed them and placed them offshore. ”If you go fishing you get only eight to 10 kilos, the entire ocean here has been affected because of the port, we opposed it but the government promised us compensation but up to date they have not compensated us,” he said. Hassan showed journalists the color of the ocean waters which had changed because of dredging which destroyed the food for the fish. He said a lot of fish died due to the impact caused by the dredging exercise which destroyed corals and food for the fish.
Currently, he said its time the government should consider fulfilling the process of compensation so that the fishermen can get an alternative for their livelihoods which have been affected by the port. The fisherman who is father of ten children said all children depended on his fishing job to survive and go to school but now he can not afford it due to the losses. Hassan said he used to have two fishing boats but one is grounded because of lack of maintenance costs. So far he said there are more than 20 fishing vessels that are grounded in Kiingitini, Mbwajumwli, Faa and Mtangawanda as owners are unable to repair them.
He said currently those who own vessels do not have an income because the amount of fish got is low and asked the top government officials to come to the ground and see the effects of the port to the fishermen. The fisherman said fishing in the high seas is a great challenge because of the rough tides that are unpredictable. ”It’s better if we are compensated so that one can open a business and relocate from the village to buy a rental house or buy a vehicle which will bring income,” he said. He expressed fears that if fishing will begin to be done in the high seas many fishermen will die due to the strong winds and rough tides.
Lamu county women rep Ruweida Mohamed who has been in the forefront in fighting for compensation of the residents of Lamu in general said its important that the government speeds up the process of compensating the fishermen. Mohamed said she asked questions in parliament demanding to know when fishermen will be compensated and when the remaining 600 residents will be given scholarships to hit the 1000 promised by the government. She said another crucial issue she raised was where the land for the multi-billion projects ends so that people can understand.
However she said some leaders are criticizing her for fighting for the rights of the natives just because she is a woman. The women rep said she got reports that lapsset plans to employ staff from Mombasa and vowed to reject the move as the positions should be given to the locals. ”I am in government and I will fight from within, I shall not rebel and begin opposing the government but will always speak the truth when things go wrong for the benefit of the locals,” she said.
Lamu county commissioner Irungu Macharia said the issue of Lapsset has been the subject of questioning for a long time. The said construction going on is now going on and once the port begins operations there will be many job opportunities. ”Right now its the Chinese contractor who is employing people depending on his capability but when complete there will be a lot of benefits,” he said. Fahdhin Adnan the Faa said up to now Lamu residents have not seen the benefits of the project especially fishermen who were greatly affected. He said the workforce at the port majority came from outside with very few locals despite the fact that the project is in their area.