Fishers and fish traders of lake Victoria: colonial policy and the development of fish production in Kenya, 1880-1978

Abstract

The developemnt of fisheries in Lake Victoria is faced with a myriad challenges including overfishing, environmental destruction, disappearance of certain indigenous species and pollution. All these problems can be located within the social, economic and political systems that exists today and in the past. This thesis, ‘Fishers and Fish Traders of Lake Victoria : Colonial Policy and the Development of Fish Production in Kenya, 1880-1978’, argues that the Luo fishers had their own indigenous techniques of fishing, modes of preservation and systems of management that ensured sustainable utilisation of fisheries. The thesis examines the role of the Luo fishers in the sustainable usage of the Lake Victoria fisheries. The British colonial settlers came up with new policies of plantation and commercial farming, taxation and forced labour, all of which encouraged the Luo fishers to partially break with their pre-colonial systems and create new ways of responding to the demands of the colonial state. The study argues that the coming of colonialism and its attendant capitalism introduced new fishing gear as well as new species, such as mbuta, that were inimical to the sustainable utilisation of the Lake Victoria fisheries. The colonial regime also introduced new practices of fisheries management such as scouts, licensing, closed seasons and the numbering of boats, practices geared towards ensuring the commercial production and development of the fisheries. This commercialisation led to cut-throat competition between Asian, European and African fish traders. The coming of independence in 1963 brought some changes, such as the provision of credit facilities, new technology, and attempts by the new African government to more effectively control and manage the fisheries. However, not much changed in terms of policy objectives, and most of the colonial policies remained unchanged. New industries were established around the fisheries, but most remained in the hands of Asians and a few African middlemen. The small-scale fishers continued to struggle against the commercialisation of fishery production, remaining voiceless and marginalised. The study recommends an all inclusive participatory approach to solve the problems currently affecting the Lake Victoria fisheries.