KISUMU,15th July 2026 -Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has hailed the recently passed Fisheries Bill as a transformative milestone for Lake Victoria beach communities, promising formal recognition and salaries for Beach Management Units (BMUs).
Speaking at Asat Beach in Seme Constituency during an empowerment drive on Tuesday, Odinga expressed gratitude to President William Ruto for selecting the beach for modernisation, projecting it to become one of Kenya’s most advanced fishing hubs.
“One of the most important things we put was to ensure that the BMUs are going to be formalised and they will be receiving salary when the bill becomes an Act,” Odinga declared, detailing provisions that eliminate double taxation by both national and county governments.
The legislator also addressed the persistent challenge of lake piracy, confirming that the legislation strengthens security measures to protect fishermen from harassment.
Odinga announced that over 180 to 200 women’s groups in Seme have benefited from the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), receiving both financial support and equipment including water pumps, power generators and engine boats.
“Empowering people is better than giving them handouts that at the end of the day does not help them,” she emphasised.
The Woman Representative noted that beneficiaries undergo mandatory financial literacy training before receiving disbursements, with some groups growing their capital from Sh50,000 to Sh450,000 through table banking.
In a bold move against the exploitative ‘sex for fish’ practice locally known as jaboya, Odinga distributed engine boats to women’s groups to facilitate fishing.
“When I was the deputy governor, ladies approached me on the issue of having to exchange sex for fish. We empowered women to get boats to hire out to men,” she explained.
“The Kisumu county MP further announced that plans are underway to distribute additional fishing nets to empower women with sufficient fishing gears for sustainable development.
The initiative aims to economically empower women, reducing vulnerability to exploitation while creating sustainable livelihoods through boat ownership and fishing enterprise.
