Pollution and other threats facing Lake Victoria require coordinated action by governments, communities, researchers and private-sector players to address, stakeholders have said.
They warned that efforts by individual institutions will not be enough to protect the shared water body.
Kisumu CEC for water and environment Judith Oluoch said the responsibility for protecting the lake extends to households and businesses.
She spoke during the Lake Victoria Basin International Conference and Exhibition in Kisumu.
“This lake is the responsibility of each one of us,” she said, noting that waste dumped into small rivers and tributaries eventually finds its way into Lake Victoria.
Oluoch said Kisumu county manages wastewater through KIWASCO, which operates the Dunga and Kisat treatment plants, but faces limitations in enforcing environmental regulations because enforcement falls under the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).
“We are working closely with Nema to ensure that these activities are stopped. It has become a challenge, but we are not giving up,” she said.
She said the county was also planning another sewage treatment plant in Kogony, Kisumu East, in collaboration with the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency.
Clifford Omondi, the conference’s national coordinator, said the five-day forum had brought together researchers, universities, donors, government agencies and communities to address pollution, waste management and climate change.
About 137 abstracts had been received for presentation, he said.
Regional coordinator Ibrahim Oluoch said the conference sought to bridge the gap between research and implementation, noting that many recommendations on protecting the lake remained unimplemented because of poor coordination.
“We need to move away from the blame game,” he said, calling for a multi-sectoral approach involving water, energy, agriculture and other interconnected sectors.
Participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo attended, with organisers saying recommendations would also be shared regionally.
